Petals: Prequel to Eternity
by TikiTDO
Summary: She saw deeper than any other. She asked for what she was never meant to know. Now how will she pay the price?
1. Dancing

Petals: The Prequel to Eternity

A Naruto based story by TikiTDO

**Author's Notes: **

So here I am, about to subject you to yet another load of excrement I have the gall to call a story. First of, this will be a Naruto/Sakura pairing, other Naruto based pairings are planned but not until later books if I get that far. If things go according to plan this will be a pretty long work, things rarely go as I planned though, so we shall see.

Please note that I will use and abuse my creative license. In other words characters will be incredibly OOC. Further, I will make use of an original world, possessing its own history, culture and secrets. Unfortunately as this is a world of my own creation sometimes I may forget to explain something that I find obvious. If I confuse you please ask me to clarify.

In order to ease the transition for anyone foolish enough to read I will take the time to explain little pieces of history or culture in the author's notes below each chapter.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** Several people have complained about the way I handled the Sasuke affair. Please realize, though he is central to the manga, in my story he is nothing but a very minor support character until book 3. That said, I do have a side-story planned for the events of the actual rescue mission. Unfortunately this would contain faaar too many spoilers to start off this story, therefore it could fit either at the end of book 1, or (far more likely) near the beginning of book 3. Until then you'll have to be satisfied with a summary sentence.

**Chronology:**

Time will behave strangely in this story, especially in later volume and in the following books. To set this up, the story is followed up to around Naruto Part 2 (Chapter 245) in the Manga. The current arc (Death of Gaara) is glossed over as it's not particularly important to the story. The Akatsuki are not as big of a threat as they are in the Manga so they too will be ignored.

* * *

Book 1 – Prequel to Eternity

Volume 1 – Of Humble Beginnings

Chapter 1 – Dancing

It was a warm spring day in Konoha, the cherry trees were blooming and the streets were filled with good cheer. There was good reason for these emotions on this day. The Chuunin exam was coming up and soon the people would be in the gigantic arena cheering for the best and brightest Genin of the generation as they showed the power of their own nations.

This would be an unusually interesting exam too. The fallen and restored Uchiha prodigy against the demonically enhanced Uzumaki was sure to be the hottest battle anyone had ever seen. Already bets were flying left and right, most favoring the Uchiha.

It was strange how quickly the boy was able to win back the trust of the Village. One day half a year earlier he simply returned after having faced his brother. This time it was Sasuke who remained standing, laughing at his "foolish older brother" as said brother turned tail and ran. He had been arrested and after a few weeks put on probation as a citizen of Konoha and then an independent Genin.

At the same time no one was certain what had happened to Orochimaru. When asked Sasuke would clam up and change the topic. Tsunade seemed to know, but was obviously under the impression that the information was good where it was at the moment unknown to all but her most trusted advisors. Naruto too seemed to know more the he let on, but for once the boy remained quiet.

Regardless of past history, Sasuke was back and he was the topic on everyone's mind, not to mention lips.

With his return Sakura had resumed her pursuit of her favorite crush, but these days her heart was not as into it as in the past. It had surprised everyone when Sasuke had accepted one of her cautious requests for a date four months after he returned. They had gone out to dinner and even seen a movie. Some expected the pair to hit it off quickly after this, and for a while it seemed like they would when a second date was quick in coming. Things slowed down after that and any mention of a third date had yet to be heard.

With Naruto the transition was not nearly as smooth. The two boys had spent many of the first few months together, trying to understand what it was that happened between them. Almost daily they fought, often to the point that both of them had to be carried to the hospital to be dressed down by Tsunade.

As time passed the two began to work through their differences. Their visits to the hospital had decreased, though their sparring remained just as fierce. Slowly the two reached a point of equilibrium. They weren't exactly enemies but still not quite friends.

So we are back on this spring day. The final round of the Chunnin exam would be in less then a week, but on this day the old team 7 was gathered in a street side café on the outskirts of Konoha to discuss the upcoming fights.

* * *

"Raaamen,..." rang out Naruto's pitiful plea. "I still say we should go to Ichiraku's I bet the food here is gonna be horrible."

This caught the attention of the café chef, who launched Naruto a withering glare before returning to his work. Fortunately this wasn't one ofthe cold looks Naruto had grown accustomedto when he was much younger. Those had become less and less frequent these days.

"Oh please Naruto," said Sakura, already starting to feel slightly exasperated at the blonde's actions. "You can live for a day without your Ramen."

This earned her a pout from Naruto and a somewhat amused 'hn' from Sasuke.

Kakashi having watched the exchange finally decided to jump in. "Well guys, I have to say I'm proud of you. The way things are going you two," he said pointing to Naruto and Sasuke, "should be ready for Jounin duties within the year."

He paused for a moment looking at them, "Unfortunatelyyou both still have yet to fix your greatest flaw."

This got their attention better then a kunai to the face.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, flaw? What's our flaw?" Naruto yelled, nearly jumping out of his chair at the suggestion.

"Leadership... Dobe." Sasuke was quick to answer.

Sakura giggled at the sour look Naruto sent Sasuke before she caught herself and looked down with a faint blush, now on the receiving end of the same from Naruto.

Kakashi took this moment to speak again, "With the two of you running around doing your... Let's say extracurricular activities." The name Orochimaru could practically be seen hanging in the air, "You two have missed out on one of the main lessons of being a Genin, something Sakura has definitely picked up on. Now you are almost certainly going to pass the upcoming exam, but from then on you will have to be careful. All the material you've missed will definitely come back to haunt you."

"There's nothing hard about leadership," laughed Naruto. "All you do is come up with a plan and make it work. That's not so different from what I always do anyway."

"Naruto, you always jump into the middle and start hitting!" yelled Sakura, remembering some of their recent and not so recent missions. "That could get you killed!"

In response Naruto got a strange sparkle in his eyes, lasting not even a moment, "But that's what makes it so fun."

His trademark grin in place he spared Sakura a wink. In response she huffed and looked away.

"Fun, yes, but always remember, when you're out in the field the lives of your team hang in the balance," Kakashi looked solemn for and instant, probably remembering an older battle. "And that is what matters the most."

As he finished speaking their food arrived and the quartet settled down to eat.

So they stayed for most of the afternoon, firing off advice and preparing the two boys for their upcoming exam. Finally Kakashi left citing a briefing for an upcoming mission. This was his way of saying he was tired of their chatter and wanted porn. Sakura too parted after a glance at the clock, muttering something about unorthodox teaching techniques and slugs.

Left alone, Naruto looked over at Sasuke who also appearedready to leave, "Hey, Sasuke!"

The other boy gave him what passed for an inquisitive look.

Naruto took this as interest, "Look, I just wanted to talk to you about the exam. You know we're both super strong and I think Kakashi's got a point. We both like to jump into the middle of a battle and go nuts. So I was thinking of a little challenge for the exam." His grin spread across his face. "How about a handicap?"

That caught Sasuke's attention, "Handicap? Yeah, I'm in. You can even give yourself a lesser one." This was a new thing from Sasuke since his return he could even crack a joke, albeit a bad one, occasionally.

"Well, how's this," said Naruto, "No Sharingan. No Kyuubi. No Rasengan. No Chidori. In fact no ninjutsu techniques at all. We'll beat the entire exam Lee style, Taijutsu only, the entire time. We'll show those two that we can limit ourselves when we really have to!"

Sasuke looked intrigued. True he knew Naruto had improved, probably beyond even Lee's skill, but without using his Sharingan in battle he had already copied the styles of many Taijutsu masters. With Naruto's skill the boy could only hope for second place, and that was not like the blond Sasuke had grown to know.

Unless Naruto had something he was saving for this fight. Something... Dare he say... New?

The sparkle in Naruto's eyes increased as he watched a grin grow on Sasuke face.

"Deal."

And so fate is sealed.

* * *

The day of the exam had come at last. Only six candidates participate this time; four from Leaf, one from Rain and one from Sand.

The day began slowly for the crowd. A rookie Genin of the Sand fought a second year opponent from the Leaf. The skirmishreminded a select few of another battle some four years earlier. The Sand nin began by disappearing underground. The Leaf nin not to be outdone demonstrated some creativity in the form of an unorthodox technique involving monofilament fiber to create a virtual spider web above the floor of the arena.

While the Leaf Genin was busy in the air, the Sand had come above to witness his technique and plan an attack. These preparations lasted for several minutes, when the pair began their attack. The execution was flawless on both sides a three pronged attack on the web cost the Sand nin a sizable gash on his arm, and the destruction of the Leaf's web. With such handicaps the two maneuvered each other around the arena, each showing incredible foresight of traps, such as a spike kit placed in the way of the Leaf nin's escape path, or the web trap dropped within the trees where the Sand nin thought it safe to burrow.

This continuedfor half an hour, plan upon counter, trap for trap. In the end they proved to be less the Shikamaru in his infamous battle, each falling for their own traps, both fatigued beyond what they were used to. The battle was tied and neither would continue on to the second round.

Sasuke was next, andfaced off against another Genin of the Leaf, a girl with a specialty of Genjutsu, something Sasuke cursed due to his promised handicap. The girl was trembling when the hand was dropped, preparing for the horrible attacks her mother had warned her of. When instead Sasuke charged at her in a tightly wound stance she nearly panicked, but gathered her wits quickly enough to throw up a rough illusion removing Sasuke's sense of vision and hearing.

Up in the stands Sakura and Ino watched intently, "What's wrong with Sasuke?" asked Ino frantically. "He should be wiping the floor with that hussy already."

In response Sakura merely shrugged, her attention riveted on the events below.

At the same time in the waiting area Naruto smirked as his teammate was battling through the darkness. "Come on teme! I thought you were Genjutsu specialists! What'll happen to the great Uchiha name now?"

Still deaf Sasuke flipped a bird towards the waiting area. He knew the other boy far too well. The appearance of the grin that he knew must have now donned the face of Kyuubi'svessel served to further infuriate him, and at last snapped him out of the illusion.

This came not a second too late as his opponent was almost upon him, ready to lay into him with every bit of strength she could muster. Unfortunately for her an Uchiha with full control of his facilities, (Funny, I know) had little trouble blocking the charge and even less trouble sending her into a slumber with a few well placed attacks.

Most knew the girl would not pass. There was simply too much left for her to learn, though she would certainly remember her near win against the Uchiha for years to come.

Naruto's fight against the Rain nin was the quickest of the lot. The Rain Genin had used the mizu bunshin technique to create a troop of water clones. Against the self-proclaimed master of kage bunshin such an attack was akin to using a campfire to stop the rain. Even without the aid of his clones Naruto decimated his opponent in just under two minutes, his own strategies with the clones giving him all the edge he needed to stay five steps ahead of any of the Rain nin's plans.

* * *

The final battle of the exam had come. Both Naruto and Sasuke were tense as they walked out onto the field. Any second they expected something to blow up or some new enemy to appear. They had each suffered a similar interruption to their battles and woe be it for anyone who dared to trick Konoha again.

Fortunately evil had called in sick for the day and the test administrator looked at the two focused boys then at his already dropped hand before shuffling uncomfortably and looking up to the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed, knowing what the two idiots were thinking about. She raised her voice, joined by not only her apprentice but all of the boys' old teachers and friends.

"FIGHT YOU IDIOTS!"

The two jumped at the sound before taking the hint and laying into each other.

"What is that?" wondered Sakura as she looked upon the battle. Sasuke was fighting just like she had grown used to seeing. A quick punch here, a kick there. Naruto on the other hand was doing something she had never seen. He seemed to be dancing.

Sasuke's thrust and follow up chop were both avoided by leaning back before falling into a backwards roll to avoid his thrown kunai. Sasuke grunted as he charged intent on a pressure point on his opponent's back. Naruto surprised him by slamming his arm into the ground, redirecting the momentum from his roll into a sideways flight. In the next instant he grabbed a kunai from the air. One of his own Sasuke realized, remembering a strange foot movement he had seen from Naruto when he entered the roll.

Sasuke intercepted the kunai and one of Naruto's with another of his own and the battle continued.

Up in the stands Sakura watchedfascinated. Since the battle started Naruto had not stopped, always twisting and turning. He seemed to almost flow in contrast to Sasuke's sharp and efficient movements. Even on the defense he would continue his dance.

Starting to feel the tingle of sweat on his face Sasuke jumped away from his opponent. This style suited Naruto, he realized, always moving, never letting your opponent get used to your moves. Even now with the two broken apart he moved, turning once, twice... Something was amiss with his movements Sasuke realized in the next instant he was blocking a crane kick from behind him by sheer instinct, as Naruto moved with speed he had never shown before.

A punch and a kick were blocked by Naruto who spun to catch the next punch in an attempt to throw Sasuke off balance. Sasuke rolled with the throw, trying to add in a kick which too was blocked by yet another spin. Though the style suited Naruto it definitely wasted more energy thanSasuke's more conservative form. In the years past he would have copied the technique with his Sharingan eye even with the promise between them. These days his word meant more to him and he refrained, respecting the secret Naruto obviously wanted to keep.

"Handicap dobe? You just wanted to show off like usual," grunted Sasuke as Naruto closed for another attack. His response was a small smile, so unlike Naruto's usual grins.

The dance, Sakura began to realize was incomplete, as if a parthad been ripped away. Even though every movement was smooth and careful, one half was still missing.Every blow that Sasuke had landed in the battle should have been blocked. At that particular moment Naruto began another spin, one that Sasuke took full advantage of, having jumped back a second earlier.

Out of curiosity she wondered what the dance would have looked like with another person dancing much like Naruto was now.

With a start she realized that was the missing piece, the feeling she had seen at the beginningof the battle and continued to see to this moment.

Sasuke's fist connected with Naruto's shoulder, the follow up catching him at the junction of the neck. The demon container flew through the air like a doll, his consciousness already fading.

Loneliness. Naruto had often been alone when he was young. This should have changed when she became his teammate. He had her, Sasuke, Kakashi and so much of the village. But here he seemed so alone.

Naruto hit the ground hardrolling a few times before coming to a stop face up, much like a position he had Neji in some four years ago.

Sadness. She knew Naruto to always be cheerful, even in the face of great adversity. What she just saw was nothing like that smiling expression.

Sasuke approached the body, limping from an earlier hit, one eye already starting to swell shut.

"Loss," Sakura whispered to no one in particular. To her left Ino finally noticed that her friend had not been cheering either of the two for the entire battle.

"What was that?" Ino wondered.

"He lost something... Precious," Sakura said, not even realizing Ino was speaking. "Something he can never get back."

Down in the arena the two boys looked each other in the eye. "Good fight," whispered Narutohis normal grin finally returning to his face, "Next time I'll beat you down."

"Yeah," replied Sasuke, "In your dreams."

Naruto closed his eyes and said no more.

"Winner. Uchiha Sasuke," Hearing those words Sasuke too allowed himself to join his friend in the land of slumber.

The fight had lasted over and hour.

* * *

"..otta be one of those arts," she caught Jiraya's voice as he exited the door.

When Sakura had come to speak to her master she was denied entry, the guards claiming that the Hokage had made it quite clear she was not to be disturbed. She was meeting with the other Sannin, and Sakura had a good idea about what.

Now Jiraya had left Tsunade's office and something obviously weighing down on his **(Now, Jiraya left Tsunade's office with something obviously weighing…)**mind. They had been in a meeting for two hours following the Chunnin exam.

"Jiraya-sama," she yelled to get his attention.

"Sakura," he acknowledged her, his mind elsewhere. "How can I help you?"

Pausing for the moment she thought of what she could ask. That dance was not, after allsomething she had ever seen. "Did you teach Naruto that style?" she decided to be quite blunt.

He chuckled, "That style... Here's the interesting thing about it,..." he paused for effect, "This is the first time I've seen it."

Sakura blinked, confused. This was one of the legendary Sannin, a man who boasted nearly as many techniques as Orochimaru, yet he had never seen this style? Something was definitely wrong here.

"Where do you think he got it then?" she wasn't really expecting an answer.

"I think... It's something he's always known," was Jiraya's distant reply.

With that the conversation was over and he walked off. Sakura remained in front of the door to Tsunade's office, but the guards were quite adamant that the Hokage was still too busyFinally she decided to check with Gai about her suspicions. He _was _the greatest master of Taijutsu in Konoha.

She found him upon the training ground with Lee. As usual they were making use of the facilities as could be attested by the loud snap of Lee's knuckles against the wood.

"Gai-sensei!" Sakura called out, getting the pair's attention. Lee paused his workout to give her a wave before resuming. He had stopped his pursuit of her shortly after Sasuke's return, though he was still polite any time he saw her.

"What is it Sakura-san? Have you come to feed the flames of youth?" asked Gai with his usual energy.

Wrinkling her nose she shook her head, "Not quite. I wanted to talk to you about the exam."

"Oh, Naruto's kata got your attention too?" he asked.

"Too?" she caught the term.

Gai nodded, "Our great Hokage called me into her office asking if I knew about it. I've never seen those particular moves, but it's obvious to me that my outstandingstudent possessed Taijutsu far greater to that which Naruto showed us today. I'm sure Naruto worked very hard to come up with it but he should have come to me!"

Thanking Gai for his input she left, nocloser to figuring out the question on her mind.

* * *

Sakura's day had been spent running amongthe various Jounin asking about the technique they had witnessed this morning. She had found and asked Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. Anko had been somewhat hard to approach, and she had nothing interesting to say. When she finally got the chance to speak with Tsunade she was further disappointed. Going outon a limb she had even asked Konohamaru, but he simply questioned what was so great about a style Sasuke beat**, s**wearing that Naruto must have held back his secret ace.

Now twilight was quickly approaching and Sakura was ready to give up.

On her way home she passed Ichiraku's stand. Though not a fan of ramen most of the time, she had spent too much of the day running around to think about eating. Knowing Naruto frequently praised the place she entered.

She was absolutely unprepared to see Naruto himself enjoying a bowl, especially after the beating he had received. She had long ago learned of the Kyuubi and its incredible healing ability, but usually even with that the boy would be too sore to go out on the same day as such an intense fight.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled noticing her head poking through the curtains. "Come have a bowl! My treat!"

At least he wasn't asking her on a date, as he would have done when they were younger.

"Sure," she smiled and sat down next to him.

"So... What brings you out today?" He wondered. "If it's my fight with Sasuke don't worry, I'll get him back soon!" When he was much younger such a loss would have left him unable to perform even the simplest task for many a day. Now he had already gotten over it and was thinking toward his next battle with his rival.

"It... Nothing," she wasn't sure why she didn't ask him about what she had seen earlier that day.

Naruto nodded just as the owner puta bowl in front of her and she began eating. They spent some minutes in silence until at last she found her voice again.

"Naruto... I wanted to know..." she began, "It's about the fight today."

He looked up from his third bowl with some curiosity.

"More specifically... your style," this caught his attention. He paused his eating to give her a long, appraising look.

"It's nothing special, just something I thought up watching Lee," he said. Sakura knew this to be a lie right off, and the look she sent towards her partner said as much.

"Naruto... That can't be true. I've never seen anything like that," she paused. "I've never seen you so sad."

Naruto laid down his chopsticks and regarded the girl evenly.

"That's an interesting observation," he noted, "not something anyone else has mentioned. What brought this up?"

Sakura realized she was on to something, "Lonely too," she noted. "You looked like you were missing something important Naruto, it was practically radiating from you."

Naruto took a moment to think. He reached into his pocket and pulled out enough change to cover the meals before standing up and heading towards the exit.

"Let me walk you home Sakura." It did not sound like a question.

Thanking the cook she stood up and followed to boy outside. They walked together, one deep in thought, the other watching him intently. Finally Naruto looked up his eyes showing a measure of confusion.

"You're right you know. About what I did," he said. "It's a mournful thing, but a form of release too."

The boy she normally saw was completely gone nowhis voice deep and serious and his mouth in a straight line.

"You weren't supposed to see that though," The statement sounded final. "No one was."

They continued on, she trying to understand what he meant while he looked lost in his own mind. Soon Sakura's house came into view she knew that unless she did something now her chance to discover what it all meant would be lost.

At last coming to a decision she blurted out, "Please Naruto. Teach me," this earned a quirked eyebrow from the boy, "Teach me to dance."

They stopped in front of her house. He turned to face her, looking directly into her eyes. In the dark they looked like a couple coming back from a nice date**, e**specially as he leaned close to her, mouth at her ear.

"You don't know what you just asked, Sakura-chan," he whispered. "This isn't some training that Tsunade oba-chan might put you through. This is something that would change your life and the very way you see the world."

"So?" she said, "We're ninjas, why would we need to be so constant?"

He smiled darkly, "You don't know how constant everyone really is." His tone sounded far too old for someone of fifteen years. "It is better that you never learned."

She didn't back down. Whatever he wanted to scare her from was far too interesting to pass up.

At last he gave a small nod. "Fine, Sakura. I'll give you a chance. But before that you must know that this training will not be free," he sighed, "Everyone who learns to dance must pay a price. A heavy price indeed. When your time comes you'll have to part with something more important to you than perhaps life itself. Then you would not die. You would lose the right to die.Instead you would live in misery, and you would really know why I danced the way I did today."

With every word she felt heavier and heavier. Darkness closed upon her, and a numbing cold welled up inside her heart. Suddenly she saw herself stripped naked, kneeling in the blackness, tears falling from her eyes as she begged to take it all back, begged for mercy and forgiveness that she knew would never come. With each heave of her shoulders she felt a great power drawing closer and closer. In terror she looked up only to see the endless stars of the infinite skies, her miniscule pleas unheard in this uncaring infinity.

Suddenly she felt the warm spring breeze on her skin. Naruto was no longer leaning in close to her ear but standing in front of her, looking into her eyes, "That's my deal, take it or leave it. Should you ask again the price shall be yours to pay." He smirked, "You can answer when you're ready, Sakura-chan."

With that he turned and walked into the night.

Sakura remained standing still for a long time, shivering slightly even with the warm wind blowing against her skin. Whatever she had stumbled upon, it was bigger then she could have dared imagine. Reaching up to touch her face she noted wet tracks where her tears must have run.

She had much to think of tonight.

* * *

**Shadris Corner:**

This is where I will try to post little bits of information. Be it culture, history or simply interesting facts that help understand the story. Not everything will make it down here as I have some big plans to explain the Shadris race throughout the story. Things here will really be those tidbits that I could not/would not work into the plot for whatever reason I feel like. These descriptions assume a working knowledge of the Shadris, so reading them now would not explain much. It's my hope that when I finish this story they will make a lot more sense.

Soieh Dance – Thought to originally date back to the latter part of house Fane era, shortly prior to the Split. Due to such a long history it is not particularly clear who invented the dance or what purpose it originally served. It has remained mostly unchanged throughout the ages, only being slightly influenced during the divided ages by the various minor combat styles. More recently it had been the subject of numerous additions, mostly courtesy of Raien of the house An'Endrai and her introduction of the absolute assault style of combat.

The focus of the Soieh dance lies not within the skill of one, but in the ability of a pair to predict and respond to each other's actions. Originally composed or three levels of mastery it was far too difficult to learn with little benefit to return in comparison to other, similar styles. Four new levels of mastery, three below and one above, helped ease it into a far more popular position, now being far easier to learn and much more useful in combat situations. This level of enthusiasm helped secure it a branch focus in the absolute assault school, and the number of dance masters has grown substantially.

Unfortunately some risks exist in mastering the dance. As it is a paired style any who have chosen not to subject themselves to a bond-mate or greater stand to be quite hurt if their partner is killed. Without the protection of a bond, death in a dance pair could destabilize the remaining partner, making them useless for several ages.

As common with such arts, a strong emotional attachment will tend to rise within the partners. How this attachment is expressed is a matter of each individual case.

In the earlier stages the dance is said to be reminiscent of standard combat art, often allowing lower priestesses begin work on a advanced combat school without requiring special training arrangements.

Ch. 1 – Version 1.3

Proofread by sharingank, many thanks


	2. Thinking

Chapter 2 – Thinking

"Saaaaakura-chan!"

Naruto was in full swing today, running toward her, as he was wont to do. For an instant Sakura flinched, remembering the serious look in his eyes, and the words he had said the night before. She could still almost feel the freezing chill of her vision running up her spine. Whatever happened to him the night before was gone now though. Today he was back in his normal form, loud voice and everything.

"Hi Naruto," she started cautiously.

"Sakura-chan, I did it! I made Chunnin!" yelled Naruto. His excitement was practically tangible. "Hokage, here I come!"

She smiled at this bit of normalcy.

"I'm glad to hear it. Any ideas on when your first Chunnin mission will be?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Actually the old hag wanted to see me right off. I figure she might have something for me to do already," he grinned brightly, "I am the best Ninja in the village, after all!"

She shook her head, already remembering why the normal Naruto grated on her nerves.

He looked up at a nearby clock. "I'd better get going though. Last time I was late she promised to skin me." He pouted. "How come Kakashi never gets her threats?"

Over the four years Tsunade had been a Hokage, she had developed a reputation for intolerance of tardiness. Many a Chunnin and even Jounin had horror stories to tell of when they had made Tsunade wait. Usually they would be assigned to Class D missions for weeks at a time. Kakashi was the sole exception to the rule. With her, as with most everyone else, he was consistently late, sometimes. Thus far, the worst punishment he had received involved her punching the man out of her office. Through a closed door, no less. All the same, this was far preferable to working for a tenth of a normal Chunnin salary for a month while trying not to kill your clients. The only guess Sakura had concerning the reason for his luck was his penchant for finding a new excuse every time.

Naruto, unfortunately, was not Kakashi, and the minute hand of the clock said he was coming perilously close to being late to his appointment.

"Oh, I think the clerk said she wants to see you too," he mentioned over his shoulder before jumping in the direction of the tower.

Sakura paused for a second before giving chase, yelling, "You should've said that earlier, idiot! Now we'll both be late!"

For Sakura, the vengeance of Tsunade was far worse then most could imagine. Adrenaline pumping, she kept pace with Naruto in their dash towards the Hokage.

* * *

The two Chunnin ran inside the building totally out of breath. The guards on duty did not give them a second look, as this was a pretty common sight. They ran all the way to the Hokage's office before taking a moment to calm down.

"We should be expected," stated Naruto.

The guards, somewhat slowly, moved away from the door to let the pair through. As they entered they noticed another occupant in the room. Sasuke was sitting in front of the Hokage, the usual picture of solemnity. Behind his eyes the two could see the storm called boredom; he must have been waiting for a while.

The Hokage looked up, "You're late," she noted calmly as the two sat down. Both Naruto and Sakura cringed, "But I guess I'll forgive you this time. More importantly," she focused on Naruto, "Where the hell were you yesterday? We spent hours looking for you when you **should** have been in the hospital resting."

Naruto had the decency to look embarrassed, "I got hungry," he whined, "And the hospital didn't have any ramen. So I went to Ichiraku's. Then I got tired so I went home to sleep."

Tsunade shook her head. The boy would put himself in an early grave one of these days.

At the same time, Sakura favored Naruto with an appraising gaze. He was usually quite honest, often to the point of extremity, yet he did not even comment on their meeting.

"Now then, the reason I called you all here," Tsunade decided to cut to the chase. "I know it's not what any of you expect, but I would like to request all three of you spend some time teaching at the Academy."

There was a pause as the request sank in.

"**What!**" Sasuke joined in with Naruto and Sakura this time, coughing and looking quite embarrassed when he realized what he did, "Hokage-sama, I understand your need to punish these two for being late, but why should I be included?"

He was on the receiving end of Naruto and Sakura's death glares this time.

"This isn't punishment," said Tsunade, before turning to Naruto, "First off, for you to become a Hokage you need to spend at least a year as an academy instructor to prove your desire to help the village. Even I had to do it when I was young – er.

Naruto nodded reluctantly, grumbling under his breath.

"As for you two," she looked over at Sasuke and Sakura, "You guys are some of the best at what you do in the village. Even after my return we still have not had as many Genin as I would like to specialize in medical techniques. This is where you come in Sakura. I would like you to find those with the potential and begin teaching them some of the things I have taught you."

"Sasuke, you've proven to me that you can be trusted with the duties of a Ninja of Konoha," said Tsunade with a far off look, remembering something, "But some members of the village still have some reservations. Think of this as free publicity."

Nodding, she picked up three sheets of paper with the assignment guidelines, "You will be paid the standard instructor fees plus a bonus for your rather special qualifications, which will put you at B5 pay grade, so please remember to act the part, " she passed the papers out to the waiting Chunnin, who were quite surprised at this pronouncement.

The ninja pay grades were arranged similarly to the mission difficulty, starting with D for the new Genin. The C rank was reserved for both Genin over third year and Chunnin. Up to there the money was not enough to provide a living, as at these ranks, it was expected that the Ninjas would have either parents or the orphan program supporting them. Past that the payment went up noticeably. Only upper ranked Chunnin earned a pay grade over B1, and B5 was one step away from new Jounin. That they were promoted so high was a clear statement the Hokage expected excellence from them.

"Yes M'am," the three replied in one voice, even Naruto showing a measure of respect he usually avoided.

"Now, I want you to sign off on the orders and go turn them in to Records. From there you will receive detailed information about your posts. I expect to hear good things from here on. Dismissed," Tsunade nodded toward the door.

As the tree got up to leave she reached into her desk and pulled out a manila folder. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura noticed the letters R.S.O. prominently displayed on the front, followed by a long string of numbers.

Tsunade placed the folder on her desk and spoke again, "Naruto, wait up a second. I'd like to talk to you about some... interesting things I found recently."

Naruto turned around. Upon seeing the folder, he frowned. Turning to Sasuke and Sakura, he said, "Don't wait up guys, this may take a while."

* * *

Sakura walked with Sasuke toward the Records section.

"What do you think that was about, Sasuke-kun?" she wondered.

The boy paused and glanced back down the hall, "I may have an idea," he stated. He had his calculating look in his eyes, something Sakura found quite annoying after having been exposed to it as many times as she had.

When he had accepted her request for a date two months ago, she was ecstatic. Finally, she would get her chance to prove her love to him. The date went rather well, too. They had gone to a tiny café where she tried to engage him in small talk, and eventually he did open up, well, as much as he could, anyway. At her prodding he told her a few bits about his childhood, surprisingly clean of the darkness that followed Itachi's betrayal. They discussed their time as Team 7 and reminisced about some of the more entertaining missions they'd been assigned. Thankfully, never once did the topic drift to Sasuke's betrayal and the years that followed.

It was during that dinner that she had first been subjected to the look. It wasn't particularly dark or malicious, but it was not how she expected the love of her life to look at her. His eyes were distant, calculating. True, there was some warmth in them too, but it was not enough.

She ignored it then, and they followed up the meal with a movie, a darker drama that was quite popular among their peers, male and female. Sasuke seemed quite bored throughout the whole thing, however, he did demonstrate his capability of being a gentleman by commenting on the film afterward, keeping his annoyance out of his voice. Following the movie he walked her home, leaving her with a feeling that something was missing.

The following week she tried again. Each time he looked at her she would notice that same gaze she had seen during her first date. She took it in stride and kept on going. This time their dinner was silent, each lost in thought. After he had paid the bill she suggested they take a walk, not wanting to risk another boring movie.

The pair went into the park, and there they finally talked about the years after the betrayal.

She had learned many things she was sure she should not have known on that day, and it put many of the ninjas she knew in a new light. At last they talked of their feelings. It was less of a disappointment then Sakura expected to learn what Sasuke really thought of her. They were close, closer then most teammates, but something was missing. He would protect her of course, as would Naruto and even Kakashi, but when he looked at her, he could not feel what she thought she felt for him.

They had spent the rest of the night in silence. When Sasuke left Sakura at her house he kissed her, a chaste kiss on the forehead. It was then that it finally sank in. She may have won, but she still did not have a chance.

Getting annoyed at the look, Sakura reached up and placed her finger in front of Sasuke's head, ready to flick. She was still some ways off from Tsunade, but even so her strength was impressive.

"Well, out with it," she demanded.

"It's about yesterday," he said somberly, the look she had thought was meant for her directed back down the hall.

She frowned before voicing her suspicions. "You saw it too then? The dance?"

He nodded, before turning and resuming his trek towards Records. "He could have beat me, I think."

It was difficult thing for Sasuke to admit. Over the years he had strived to be the best, strived to triumph over his brother. In the end he had achieved his goal, his brother defeated at his feet. In the process, though, Naruto had grown stronger yet, and gained skills Sasuke had never even seen.

"He could have, but something was missing. It's not that he was holding back, but more like the moves were incomplete," Sasuke mused. "That's probably why he made the challenge about not using the Sharingan."

Sakura had forgotten all about her teammate's bloodline ability. It had been a long time since she had seen him fight full out. With the fresh revelation of the agreement between the two boys, coupled with her vision the previous night she began to realize that there was more to Naruto's dance then met the eye. In fact there was something about it that Sasuke simply must not copy.

"Sasuke," she started, "I want you to promise me one thing. Please don't copy that dance."

Surprising her, he nodded. "Yes, I think that may be for the best."

With that resolved, the two continued in silence.

* * *

Despite Naruto's warning, his friends decided to wait for him in the Records Hall. The room looked exactly as one might expect: rows and rows of shelves holding stacks of boxes, each meticulously labeled in some cryptic script that only the Records employees could recognize. Here, mission requests would be matched with appropriate data and sent to the Hokage for approval. The briefing and debriefing logs for all missions since the conception of the village could be found in the boxes, and all the minor details that the Hokage was far too busy to decide were handled by the clerks. Also, mission details were given out here, as well as promotions.

The clerks were a strange bunch. All of them had some ninja training of course, most able to act at least at a Chunnin level. Most rarely stepped out of the tower, however. Lodging was attached directly to the Hall and food was provided in the nearby cafeteria, providing the added benefit of keeping the clerks from being swayed by the courts of public opinion, each operating based only on what was kept within the halls. None of them had ever sent Naruto any hateful glances or raised Sasuke onto a pedestal.

In order to maintain security, the clerks also had their own written and spoken language. Thirty sets of characters existed to help organization, with each clerk knowing ten. Whenever a request was yelled out only a clerk who knew the section requested could retrieve the file. This served the dual-purpose of ensuring a captured clerk would not pose too much of a threat, and more importantly, frightening away visitors.

The woman on duty at the front desk ignored Sasuke and Sakura as they waited in the provided chairs, looking at the papers laid out in front of them. It was not her place to ask, nor care about what anyone past the desk did.

Finally, the door opened and a quiet Naruto walked in. Looking around, he quirked his eyebrow at his two teammates. "So you stuck around, guys?"

Ignoring his questions, Sasuke shot him an inquisitive look. "What was that about?"

"Oh, the old lady found some documents from when the Fourth was Hokage. She thought I might like to see them and help her figure them out," said Naruto dismissively. "It turned out to be nothing I didn't know."

Sasuke nodded. Documents from back then probably had to do with the Kyuubi, so it was none of his business to inquire. Sakura wondered what the initials she had seen stood for, but she too discarded the idea of further questions.

"Come on, let's get our assignment!" Naruto regained some of his cheer and ran up to the desk, slamming his mission specification down. "Hey lady, give us the mission details for the future Hokage and his friends!"

The clerk looked at the boy with some curiosity – it was not every day someone started yelling in the hall – before looking down at the papers. A high paying teaching assignment, she noted, before shouting a long combination of syllables.

They did not need to wait long before a pale man ran up, handed the head clerk three folders, and disappeared back into the maze of shelves.

"So then," started the woman, looking at the first folder, "Let's see what we have. One Haruno Sakura, medical specialist, B5 pay grade. You are assigned academy room 312, in charge of the new special medical section class."

Sakura nodded, expecting something like this. She picked up the folder that was presented to her and began to leaf through the various pages of information.

"Next we have an. Uchiha Sasuke, Ninjutsu specialist, Sharingan bloodline ability, also B5 pay grade. You are in room 108, in charge of jutsu training and demonstration. It says here that you are expected to expand your Genjutsu ability in order to provide a full range of training to the students."

Sasuke accepted his folder. The job would be somewhat boring, but he would not mind some peace now that his brother was taken care of.

"Finally, Uzumaki Naruto, advanced training, demonic container, and of course B5 pay grade," the three cringed at how easily the woman told what was supposed to be the village secret.

"Now this is strange," she mused, looking within the folder, confused, "With grades like that?" she shrugged and continued, "Anyway, you are in academy room 302, in charge of Konoha history."

Naruto leveled a blank look at the woman while his teammates started at him incredulously, "Excuse me?" they asked in tandem.

The woman shrugged and handed him the folder, "See for yourself, and I hope you have greatly improved in this area, young man. I fear for our children if you teach them with grades like yours."

Naruto opened his folder, allowing them to confirm what was already said.

Giving off an uncomfortable laugh and scratching his head, he said, "Well, I'll do it. Anything to become Hokage, right?"

Seeing that her task was complete, the head clerk leaned back in her chair and returned to her previous activities.

* * *

Sakura resisted the urge to hit her head against the wall. Over the past week she had developed a newfound respect for all of her old teachers. How they were able to put up with little horrors like these she would never know. The job was not completely thankless though, and she felt a great sense of pride at the interest some students showed towards the medical profession.

From down the hall she heard sudden laughter, no doubt Naruto's class enjoying themselves as usual. That boy had shocked everyone with his approach to teaching, and his apparent success. However he did it the students loved him, and would eagerly talk about his class, even at the expense of other lessons.

The bell suddenly rang, announcing the end of the day. The students bowed and began to file out. Sakura followed them, thinking about Naruto. It had been almost three weeks since the Chunnin exam, and since then, Naruto had not once shown the face she had seen that night. She was starting to think it was a dream. At that particular moment Naruto exited his class, still somewhat ahead of her, talking to one of his students.

"That's why you should keep working on it. After all, even the wildest dreams can become reality," she stopped and gaped at the coincidence. It was in that moment that he sent her a mysterious smile and a wink. They were gone in an instant, but the sense of foreboding she had been feeling earlier returned full force.

Naruto returned his focus to his student. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ari-chan. Don't forget to study."

As the girl ran off, Naruto turned towards the stairs, glancing up at Sakura. "This is a nice job, isn't it Sakura-chan?"

Still feeling some apprehension, Sakura nodded. "It has its ups."

The two headed down towards the teachers' lounge.

Inside, they found Sasuke sitting, his hands crossed in front of his face in his classical brooding position. In front of him was a sheet of paper showing all of his students and their recorded abilities.

"Hey, teme!" yelled Naruto.

Sasuke glanced up to acknowledge them before glaring at the harmless sheet again. "So pitiful, all of them," he muttered, "No redeeming qualities."

One would need to be very familiar with Sasuke to discern anything but scorn in the statement. Fortunately, both Naruto and Sakura knew him far too well. He was enjoying this little foray even more than Naruto, and it seemed like teaching really was the position in which he flourished. Sure his students sometimes found him scary and unapproachable, but with him looking over them they worked hard, and when he gave them one of his rare praises they would truly beam.

Naruto and Sakura both sat at their usual places, and Naruto began a rather quiet conversation with his rival. The two had grown closer these past weeks, their experience helping change them for the better.

Sakura thought about the events of the day, such as Naruto's opportune statement and the knowing smile that followed. That was no coincidence, she was quite sure. Once again, her mind drifted to what he said that night.

"_It's better that you never learned."_

She wondered what caused him to say that, when he was always asking her to become stronger.

"_You would not die, you would lose the right,..."_

That made no sense. He seemed so gloomy when he said it, and sure, too. What was it that she should fear more than death?

And that vision.

She realized that she would need to come up with an answer, if not for Naruto, then at least for her own heart.

"Saaaaakura-chan!" Naruto stuck his face in front of her.

"Sasuke and me are hungry, come on, let's go eat," he offered. Unable to come up with an excuse, she accepted, and the trio left the room.

* * *

It was a week later that Sakura found herself looking toward the ceiling as she lay in bed. All this thinking and she still had no answer that satisfied her. Perhaps it was time to confront Naruto and ask for his help. True, he seemed to think she should decide on her own, but this wasn't getting her anywhere.

Slowly, she got up and threw on some clothes. It was still late spring, but a recent cold front made the nights rather chilly.

Quietly, she snuck out of her room and down the stairs. Making sure she had her keys, she left the house, thankful that her parents were heavy sleepers.

The chill night air teased her skin, and she was surprised to see her breath congealing into fog; it should not have been that cold. Ignoring the strange quirk of nature, she headed towards Naruto's apartment. She hadn't been there too often, but enough times to memorize the location.

She passed through downtown, enjoying the silence and solitude in a place that was usually so full of life. Above her the stars twinkled, taking her breath away by their beauty, and at the same time filling her with a sense of danger, as if each one was watching her intently. Ignoring the confused feelings, she continued on.

At last she reached Naruto's apartment building and happily walked in, enjoying the warmth on her chilled skin. The front door was never locked, so she let herself in and headed up the stairs.

In front of Naruto's door she paused, thinking of what she was about to ask, and praying that he would not misinterpret her visit for something more than it was.

Finally, gathering enough of her wits, she knocked and waited.

And waited… and waited…

Getting annoyed, she knocked again, this time much harder. True it was midnight, but he owed this to her.

The annoyance turned to frustration, and she tried the doorknob, to find the door unlocked. Sighing at her teammate's carelessness, she opened the door, looking cautiously around for any traps he may have put in to protect his home.

Seeing none, she entered.

The room was quite bare, the same as it had been the last time she was here. A sofa was pushed against the wall facing a tiny television. Through one doorway she knew she would find the kitchen area, full of cup ramen and little else. Through the other would be Naruto's bedroom, a few posters, a bed and a dresser.

That was her destination. She put her hand on the door and took a breath. If he misunderstood this, god help her, she was going to pound him into the floor. That she was trespassing never occurred to her.

"Naruto!" she yelled, flinging the door open.

She was greeted by silence.

Looking around the room, she noticed that the bed was untouched. Wherever he was, it wasn't here.

Sighing, she left the apartment. She would search for him then, he had to be somewhere in the village. She didn't know why she was going through so much trouble, but she wanted to have an answer, for him and for herself.

Standing outside, she looked at the starry sky again. What would she do when she found him? How would her answer affect her life? These were all worries she let flow from her mind. For now her task was simple: find Naruto and ask him what she could do.

Tired of standing she took off, running up a wall of a nearby building to get to the roof and continuing from there. Normally such an action would be frowned down upon. Showing off your ninja skills in the middle of the civilian population raised feelings of jealousy from the ground bound humans. Now, deep in the night, she could go all out.

There was a time years ago that she could not do something even that simple. Her chakra reserves were pitiful back then, barely enough for a few clones. Then Tsunade came along and that changed. These days she was still well behind people like Naruto and Sasuke, but she felt, if in the right mindset, she could perhaps give Neji a run for his money. She kept going, no particular destination in mind. Her eyes were scanning left and right, trying to find some activity. She caught the occasional movement of on duty ANBU or Jounin guards going about their business, but was quite sure her friend was not among them. Her passage was unchallenged; it was assumed any Ninja out this late inside the village knew what they were doing, and thus were not disturbed.

She noted absently that the buildings were getting fewer and further between. Soon she would be forced to drop from her high path and go by ground. She was near one of the training areas she realized, sixteen if she remembered correctly. It was a large section of forest that was once used for stealth exercises. These days a newer, more appropriate field existed for the purpose, so this area remained unused, protected by various laws requiring the preservation of old training areas

She was about to turn back before she paused. These days, coincidences were almost a daily occurrence. Since she was here she might as well look deeper; after all, one never knew what one might find.

Jumping to the ground, she walked into the forest, secure in the knowledge that she could handle any animal that might choose her for a midnight snack.

The training area was even quieter then the town she had just left. Gone were the random dogs barking and the faint whistling left by traveling ninjas. The canopy blocked the light from the moon and stars, so she focused a bit of chakra into her eyes to give her a better sense of her surroundings.

She walked like that for what felt like hours. The cold was starting to get to her and the silence was unnerving.

As she got deeper into the forest she began to realize the temperature had climbed down, and was now hanging below freezing. She had not dressed for something like this, but her resolution would not wane, so she continued forth.

Suddenly, she spied a faint light ahead, most likely coming from a clearing. Sighing in relief, she let the chakra flow out and moved towards it.

As she got closer she realized she was right; it was a small clearing with a lake. But that was not the most interesting part. It seemed that the air was colder here than anywhere else. Suddenly her breath caught. There, in the middle of the lake, was her quarry.

Naruto stood on the mirror-like surface of the lake, his arms folded out and face turned toward the sky, a wooden staff leaning against his shoulder. He did not seem to notice when she entered the clearing, as he remained silent.

The water must have frozen from she cold, she reasoned, since she did not see a single ripple; how Naruto was able to tolerate the cold was anyone's guess.

A faint breeze blew, brining with it even more of the cold air. She shivered and tried to rub some feeling back into her near frozen arms. It was time that she called to him and resolved the question plaguing her mind.

As the breeze reached Naruto, he burst into motion and the words Sakura had on her lips faded in awe.

He spun grabbing the staff and struck out in front of him, using it as a spear. Next, he proceeded to move in an intricate figure eight, striking high and low at some imaginary opponent. In the next instant he jumped and spun, the staff in a position to have clipped the opponent's head with its end. He recovered from the spin with a quick roll striking upwards, and then swung around in a full circle.

These moves were nothing like she had seen during the exam, Sakura realized. Here the dance was different, more savage and so much faster. The entire sequence of events had taken less than a second; she was surprised she could follow it at all.

Naruto did not stop. He was now running all over the lake, engaged in his intricate kata. He handled the staff with one hand, while the other was free for unarmed attacks. With another spin he made a blocking motion with his staff and struck out, faster than lightning, at chest level.

It was then that she saw them, small shiny claws, nothing like the one time she had seen him fully Kyuubified. He gracefully struck out two more times before thrusting with the staff into the same area. Entertaining a clue, she put Sasuke in place of the imaginary opponent and realized that, had this been a real fight, her old crush would now be impaled on the staff, his body ripped open.

Naruto was not done yet. Drawing back, he moved the staff out of it's imaginary confinement, his free hand passing as what she guessed to be neck level, in a terrible finishing move. Still Naruto would not stop. Another shadow opponent had obviously appeared in his mind's eye as his assault continued, arms, legs and staff moving together in a perfect dance of death, something even her nightmares could not have imagined.

All she could do was sit there, watching fascinated as the boy danced and danced. Time lost all meaning to her and the cold seemed so very welcoming now.

An hour passed, and then another. It was nearing 3 am she realized, yet here she was as the one everyone had always underestimated lay waste to what must have already been an imaginary army.

Finally, Naruto stopped, back in the position he had started in, arms spread out, facing the sky. His staff touched the surface, sending ripples toward the shore; the water had never been frozen.

Finally he turned towards her, his eyes heavy with the weight of what he must have been hiding for a long, long time.

"Yes."

It was all she could think to say, the answer that her heart and mind had puzzled over for the entire month.

"Teach me everything."

He nodded and opened his hand to her. Following his silent instruction she stood, shocked that her body did not feel at all affected by the long wait in sub-zero temperature. Sakura walked onto the lake and took his hand.

Today, her fate would change. Her previous life would not matter she realized, but perhaps it was for the best.

Dance, gestured Naruto.

And she did.

* * *

**Shadris Corner:**

Absolute Assault Style – Primer 1 – The absolute assault combat style is an invention of Raien An'Endrai during her time at the watcher Academy. The main reasoning behind its conception was applying more physical aspects of combat into the heavily remote Direct Assault style favored by a majority of the Shadris. While it can and will not replace the Direct styles it does serve to bridge a necessary gap, allowing combatants more interaction. It is said that one who is master at Absolute and Direct assault will win against a master of either five times to one. A rather huge margin for the Shadris race where even changes of a percent from and even half are monumental.

The style is based around a central art, its origins heavily based on the Martial Arts practiced by many races of the existence. As is common, it is arranged into seven levels each of distinct name and focus. Also linked to the central pillar are nine outer arts, among them being the partner dance of Soieh, and several other special techniques.

In most cases a student will progress through the first and second ranks with little guidance from a master outside of the basic instructions. After that a permanent master is found, he or she will guide and teach the student for the duration of the other five levels of mastery or until the student believes to have learned enough.

The style past the first level focuses mostly on the energy that composes the body, mind, soul and surroundings of the practitioner. The higher physical performance could be attributed to the understanding of such concepts and application to the practitioner's own body.

Once the fourth level of mastery is reached the student is expected to begin learning at least one of the outer branch arts. This training will continue, and will grow to expand all nine outer branches by the time the seventh level of mastery can be worked on.

To achieve the seventh level all outer branches must be mastered to completion and an elder sage, either one of the Great House leaders or an upper ranked House Raven operative must acknowledge the user.

By the time the sixth rank is mastered the user is expected to have been converted to the Shadris had they not been one since birth.

**Author's Notes:**

So, Chapter 2. Things happening now, hopefully someone finds it at least remotely interesting. Reading over the first chapter I've found various mistakes that I've tried to correct. Among them being Naruto's last name (Thanks for pointing that out by the way), Sasuke's age (They are meant to be 15, not 16 for now), and the general spelling mistakes found most everywhere.

Thanks for the reviews, they really make me feel like this crap is half way decent.

Tiki.

Ch. 2 – Version 1.1

Proofread by sharingank


	3. Changing

Chapter 3 – Changing

Sakura woke up with a start, barely holding in a scream. The dream responsible for her distress was already fading from her mind, but the horror was still all too real. Sitting up, she hugged her pillow and let the tears flow down her cheeks.

It was early, 3 in the morning, she instinctively knew, glancing at her clock to confirm it. She had thought the dreams were under control over a year ago.

It had been a simple mission that Tsunade had sent her on as medical support when she had turned thirteen. It was supposed to be a "positive experience for a kunoichi" of her caliber. They were to retrieve a stolen scroll and get out without being spotted. Quite a tame B-Ranked mission, it didn't even rate any Jounin support, with two Chunnin and Sakura expected to accomplish it.

She was still unsure what happened. One second the mission was progressing smoothly, they had retrieved the scroll and were proceeding to the exit point, and then things went to hell.

Six masked ninjas appeared out of nowhere, ANBU, by their appearance, though it was unclear which village claimed their loyalty. She had been taken out early in the fight with a kunai to the gut, which, combined with her medical skill, was probably what saved her. While she lay in pain trying to perform some of the emergency healing techniques Tsunade had taught her for such situations she saw her teammates cornered like dogs.

They had both tried to fight, quite a futile gesture to be sure, but a brave one nonetheless.

One had lost an eye to a shuriken, his opponent took only the time to slit his wrists before moving to help with the other.

The second had not been quite as "lucky." The ninjas tore into him brutally, taking out chunks of flesh with well-placed strikes. She heard his screaming for many long minutes which seemed like ages, and each time she prayed their opponents would just let him die. When at last the screams stopped, she waited for them to return for her, but the fatal strike never came. She had passed out at the time, her healing giving her the strength to last through until the morning.

When she woke, no help had arrived. She took the little strength her forced slumber gave her to stumble towards the village, not looking back to check on the remains of her partners.

To this day she wasn't sure where she found the will to stumble for hours on tired legs, and when they finally gave, she had been near a training encampment for Konoha ANBU candidates. The last things she remembered were the white walls of the hospital and the worried faces of her parents and Tsunade.

She remained there for over a week, almost exclusively under Tsunade's care. The woman blamed herself for Sakura's experience; she even let the girl know that those responsible had been found... And taken care of.

Sakura never did get the full story explaining why six enemy ANBU were guarding a scroll stolen by common thugs. Mentions of revenge and a minor daimyo were circulated around for some time, but nothing concrete was ever explained, Tsunade admitting that there were some secrets not even she could reveal. So Sakura moved on. When Naruto and Sasuke returned, she never mentioned her experience, hoping to forget it.

It was during her stint in the hospital that the nightmares started, and she woke in abject horror morning after morning. Several months of episodes later, she was finally able to get the dreams under control, and tried not to look back. Yet the past three nights she was up with the same cold feeling of fear that she had grown to hate so much during that period.

Shaking her head, she decided to get up. Her rest was ruined anyway, and she did not feel nearly as tired as she should have considering how little sleep she had gotten the past few nights.

Putting on a light shirt and shorts she opened up her window and hopped onto the roof, enjoying the warm spring air.

It had been a week since... that... and she was still trying to understand what had happened. Naruto was no help, having grown strangely quiet around her since then, to the point where even Sasuke was asking if something had happened between them. She was at a loss for an answer, so she remained quiet.

A star twinkled slightly in the sky. It was a rather close one, she noted, wishing it would provide her with an answer.

When the star remained quiet she resumed her musing. She hadn't seen Naruto dance since that night either, but each evening she would find a quiet place and practice a dance that seemed to flow into her mind. It was ugly compared to his, but she did it anyway, hoping to discern some special purpose in its movements, to feel the magical air that seemed to flow within Naruto those few times she had seen him perform.

Thus far the dance showed her nothing she wanted to see, leaving her tired enough to stumble home and collapse into bed, only to be interrupted by nightmares as she had been just now.

"Naruto. Baka," she muttered to herself.

She was going to confront him tomorrow. She wanted more then just some ugly moves, she wanted to fly over the water as he had.

Her eyes caught an ANBU jumping from building to building in a rush to get somewhere. She followed her progress, jealous of the skill and style the woman displayed. She wanted that. Following the retreating ninja with her eyes, she sighed and lay back, resuming her scrutiny of the sky as she searched for answers that would not come.

It was later the same morning that Sakura moved gracefully around the kitchen, looking for miso paste. She was not a particularly skilled cook, usually avoiding the activity in favor of training, but she was able to make a traditional breakfast if so asked.

To find her doing this willingly would have left many of her friends questioning their sanity. In her defense, she did not seem particularly thrilled about the activity, only doing it to keep her hands and mind busy. Inside, she had stilled, not calmed down; the night of staring at the sky until the sun began to peek over the Hokage monument had left her as many questions as she started with.

Finally she spotted the elusive ingredient, happily grabbing the can and making her way back to the stove.

Her mother would be up soon, and her father not long after. Sakura was the only one of the Haruno family that enjoyed her beauty sleep. It made a weird sort of sense though, as neither of her parents were active ninjas. When your life could end at any moment, you chose whatever comfort you could glean, even if it was in sleep. Fortunately, no one commented on the habit. As if on cue, she heard sounds upstairs as her mother lazily got out of bed and headed towards the shower.

Sakura realized that she should hurry it up a bit. What was the point of preparing breakfast if it was not ready by the time someone was up to eat it? Going through these motions was foreign to her. Sometimes, her mother would speak of the unprecedented joy she felt when cooking, however Sakura could not relate; all of this work was mind numbing at best, which, she remembered, was why she was doing it. She wanted to find Tsunade and get the woman to teach her something new and interesting.

Pausing a bit, she smacked herself. Now she was starting to sound like Naruto.

Upstairs, the shower turned off just as she was putting the finishing touches on the meal. She moved the miso and rice to the table, heading back for the Tamagoyaki. Her task complete, she seated herself and waited for the inevitable steps on the stairs.

She did not have to wait long, her mother walking slowly, almost cautiously into the room. The older woman wore a simple dress, her reddish pink hair cut short. When she saw Sakura at the table she stopped, surprised, and then sighed in relief.

Sakura suddenly realized how unusual this scene was. Her mother must have been expecting to see some sort of crazy robber who decided to cook breakfast by way of an apology. The idea that her daughter would be up at such an hour, and making breakfast, no less, had not occurred to the poor woman.

"Good morning, mother," said Sakura cheerily, "I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep for some reason, so I decided to try my hand at breakfast." It was basically the truth.

"I can see that, Sakura-chan," the woman replied.

Something about the way her mother said that caught Sakura's attention. There was some unusual air hanging about her today, lighter, happier then the normal calm feeling.

"Come have a seat, mother. It's been a long time since we had a breakfast without a rush," Sakura chose not to mention that the rushing was usually on her part.

As her mother sat down, Sakura heard her father entering the land of the living as well.

The older woman filled a bowl before bringing it to her lips. After a quick taste, she glanced at her daughter with an expression akin to surprise.

"This is really good, Sakura. Better then I usually get it," she smiled. Her daughter did not like cooking, and to have something as simple as miso soup taste this good meant that Tsunade must have sneaked some culinary practice into her daughter's schedule.

In response, Sakura gave her mother a curious look. "What are you talking about mother? I put in too much salt, and the taste is far too strong." The girl had tried the dish before serving it and, while not bad, it was not as high a quality as her mother's.

Her mother gave her a smile for her humbleness and resumed eating.

They sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in thought until, at last, Sakura's father descended into the room. He sat down next to his wife, putting a hand on her shoulder; the gesture didn't go unnoticed as, again, Sakura wondered what was going on. Her parents were usually not this affectionate, at least not around her.

Breakfast continued, her father only briefly commenting about the unusual cook.

"How is your teaching going, dear?" asked her mother.

"It's fun," Sakura smiled in response. "You just have to get over some of the more annoying kids. I sort of miss my training sessions with Tsunade-sama though. These days we barely have time to train together more than once or twice a week." Sakura sighed at the loss. Under Tsunade's tutelage, she rarely had a boring day, often not coming home until obscene hours of the night. Now, though, she was at school until evening, and that was usually too late to review any of the things a kunoichi needed to know.

Her mother nodded, smiling, "And how about that Sasuke boy? Have you thought about another date?"

Sakura tensed. Her mother, in her efforts to engage in light talk, brought up a rather uncomfortable topic.

"We're... not too sure about that yet, mother. Give us some time, we're still young after all," she paused after she said that. Her parents were sharing yet another one of their affectionate looks.

Now that she thought about it, the conversation was far too involved for this early in the morning. It was as if they were trying to gather up the courage to tell her something..

Sakura's mother didn't seem to be finished yet. "Oh, that's too bad, what about..."

"Mother," Sakura interrupted the woman, "I've known you for fifteen years now. I know you've got something to say, so out with it."

Her mother looked at her for a second. The woman expected this, but still felt some apprehension.

Finally she took a deep breath and turned to look her daughter in the eye, "Sakura-chan. That was rude of you, I taught you better then to interrupt your mother," Sakura winced, "but you do have a point. I'm not the best at keeping secrets am I?"

Sakura nodded despite herself, earning another mock glare from her mother.

"Well, Sakura, dear. You're going to have a sister."

At that, Sakura stared.

And stared.

She had often wished for a little sister to take care of, someone who would look up to her and give her the respect she felt she deserved… most of the time. Before she had met Ino all those years ago, she would often ask her parents when she was going to get a little sister to play with.

Be careful what you wish for, for you may just get it.

"Umm, wow mother. That's great news!" she said, putting up her happiest front. Truly, she wasn't sure how to take the news. Yes, she had wanted a sister when she was younger, but now, it would mean a child in the household to look after. It wasn't that she was against it, she just wondered if she could be the big sister she always hoped to be.

Her mother seemed satisfied, "I'm glad you're happy Sakura. We were afraid you might find this too unexpected."

Putting on a bright smile, she assured them that she was ecstatic. The remainder of the breakfast was spent in conversation over the newest addition to the Haruno family.

* * *

Sakura stood in front of her class, her lesson proceeding on autopilot while her mind revolved around the revelation from earlier that morning. She was starting to see some benefits to the deal. She would get an avid student and fan to be sure. She grinned, confusing a few of her students who wondered what part of chakra surgery was worth such a smile.

The child would not suffer the same problems Sakura did, she would make sure of that. She would teach her sister to be the greatest kunoichi there ever was.

On the topic of teaching, she realized she was getting way above the level her students were expected to know. These kids weren't going to be doing complex tenketsu repair any time soon.

Stopping her speech, she coughed uncomfortably. "Sorry about that, my mind was elsewhere," she said, which earned her a few muffled chuckles.

She pulled out a small flower she had picked on her way to school. "Anyway, back on topic. As you know, the most important aspect of chakra surgery is feeling out your patient. Even the best control will not help you unless you know what it is you are healing."

She lifted up the flower, "Chakra exists in every living thing. A life that is not intelligent cannot generate it in any decent amount, which in fact leads so many to believe that chakra is a human only trait. Any truly skilled medic will tell you such a misconception is incorrect. Take this flower, for example, a truly resilient life form. Its chakra pathways are arranged in such a way that it continues to live even though it's been separated from the main body. Within it resides the smallest strand of chakra; it is fading now, of course, but as a medic you could do something like this..."

She focused a bit of her chakra into her hand, gently nudging it along the stem where the main chakra line of the plant lay. The petals of the flower started to gain color and the stem practically shone with health.

"Here I am guiding the slightest bits of my chakra up the stem, massaging the lone pathway within the flower, which causes such a clear reaction. You must be careful though. Since chakra is a powerful energy, more then the slightest trace can flare out of control, and, while that's wonderful for all of those techniques that leave craters in the ground, it's dangerous for very precise healing. If your chakra deviates even a breath out of bounds, you'll have a scalpel sharper and more deadly than any surgeon, ninja or no, could ever have instead of a healing tool."

Intent on demonstrating her point, she focused a sharp spike up the chakra path of the flower, looking up to see the reaction of the class.

The students were entranced, watching her hands in awe, a reaction she had not expected. This was not quite the reaction she had expected. A withering flower should result in something quite different.

Looking down, she was notably shocked. Instead of becoming a wilted husk, the flower in her hand was growing. Already another stem separated from the one she held, and in front of her eyes, a bud bloomed. The process continued for over a minute as the entire class, teacher included, simply stared. Suddenly, Sakura realized what she was doing and cut off the flow of chakra, unnerved. By all rights, she shouldn't have had the ability to _make_ things, not for a few more years, at least. After all, to control the amount of chakra she was putting into the plant was something Tsunade could do, not a young Chunnin teacher.

With the disappearance of chakra, a small flash filled the room, and Sakura's eyes went wide… The flower did not simply wilt: its stems shattered into dust, and the buds began to fall as if in slow motion, a trail of white petals following them. At last they settled on the floor in a white carpet.

The class burst into applause, clearly amazed by such a performance, though Sakura was the most impressed of the bunch. Nodding to the class, she kept staring at the remains of the flower, the fact that she had caused the death of such beauty the only thing running through her mind. Eventually the antics of her class caught up to her and, putting on an annoyed face, Sakura told her students that the explanation for what happened would have to wait. The class under control, she resumed the lesson after gathering the petals.

* * *

At the same time as Sakura's class was watching the girl's performance, Sasuke walked into the teacher's lounge trailed by Iruka.

"How is the job going, Sasuke?" wondered the older man. There had been times when he was not very pleased with the boy. Sasuke had caused his favorite student such pain that he often wondered how Naruto had found the will to forgive, but forgive he did, and because of that Iruka could not remain mad at the Uchiha. Over the past few weeks he had even grown to enjoy the quiet boy's company.

Sasuke for his part did not mind his old teacher. The man was good with kids, something he realized now was quite a difficult task. "The students are annoying," he muttered, though his face betrayed his true feelings. "There is no skill among the class, the bunch of them can barely hold together a bunshin," again one could guess from his expression that some of the kids had truly impressed him.

Iruka smiled at Sasuke knowingly. The boy was starting to show more emotions around the people of the school. No longer did he need his faithful Sasuke translator. Naruto had taken it upon himself to interpret everything the Uchiha said, much to Sasuke's annoyance. Fortunately the boy wasn't around at the moment, currently teaching a class.

That was another thing Iruka was curious about. During his time teaching Naruto, the boy had never remembering even the most important dates of Konoha's history, showing absolutely no talent for the topic. Now, he was one of the children's favorite teachers. They would absorb what he had to teach and be happy to repeat it to any ear willing to listen.

What had Iruka missed that had granted Naruto such insight? Were those years under Jiraya's tutelage really that educational?

"The dobe has always been good at surprising everyone," Sasuke guessed what the man was thinking, "I've learned not to underestimate him, even if I am better."

"That he has," agreed Iruka, and smiled.

With his revenge complete, Iruka noted that Sasuke seemed to have mellowed out. Most had expected him to find nothing he wanted in the victory; in a way it was relieving everyone had been wrong. It was also quite shocking that the boy no longer focused every ounce of effort on being the best. Sure he trained more then most shinobi of the Leaf, but gone were the days of total isolation.

He had even gone on a few dates with Sakura, if rumors were to be trusted. Which brought up an interesting topic.

"Sasuke, have you noticed Sakura acting strange lately?" asked Iruka. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, indicating he was listening.

Iruka chose his words carefully. "She's been a bit distant lately, always lost in her thoughts. I remember her being the type of girl who was in the middle of everything."

Sasuke nodded, interested. "I don't know what is going on with her. She used to bug me endlessly until I finally gave in and took her on a date."

Iruka nodded at the confirmation of the rumor.

"Since then she's been acting strange. At first I thought it was me, since I don't think I can return her feelings. Lately, though, you're right, something heavy is on her mind. She seems to be more graceful." Sasuke pondered for a moment. "She's been like that since the exam."

Suddenly the boy's eyes lit up, "It may be something to do with dobe. She was telling me not to copy him," he stopped suddenly. He had let slip something he had not meant to. It was unlike him.

"Then again, I may be looking too deep," he amended himself. Iruka, noticing the sudden change of pace, accepted that he had gotten all the information he could.

"How about we see how things go then?" he asked before walking to his seat to grade papers.

Sasuke took the cue and resumed his previous tasks.

* * *

Punch. Punch. Kick. Slide. Roll. Punch.

This pressure was getting on Sakura's nerves. First the nightmares, then finding out she was going to be a sister, then the debacle in the classroom. Things were really messed up recently.

Kick. Spin. Handstand. Reverse kick.

She hadn't had a chance to speak to Naruto either. It wasn't like he was avoiding her, but each time she saw him he was surrounded by students or friends. Not one time was he alone and free to discuss some more private things. She'd be damned if she had to pull him away from someone who knew her. The potential for misunderstanding was far too great.

Punch. Rising punch. Roll. Crescent kick. Spinning takedown.

She really needed someone to talk to. Ino came to mind, but was quickly dismissed. That girl was way too busy these days; Sakura had barely seen her two times during the past months, and both instances the blonde was in a rush. Kakashi was also a possibility; he wouldn't be able to offer the same type of support, but at least he knew how to listen when she truly needed it, and would not babble on needlessly. No, Kakashi was on a mission right now, she remembered. Something really secret since Tsunade could not tell her much about it.

Who was left?

Double strike. Follow through neck chop. Braced palm strike.

It was all Naruto's fault after all, she decided. Him and his freakishly beautiful dance. It was messing with her mind as if it was a toy. Unconsciously, she began to pour a slight bit of chakra into her limbs, increasing her speed past what she was normally capable of. Had Sakura been paying attention she would have been quite shocked that this was possible for someone like her. Often the upper level ninja would talk of this skill but whenever she broached it to Tsunade the older woman said she wasn't ready.

Rolling kick. Redirect momentum. Toss opponent.

Instead she had decided to put all her trouble into this battle. She could almost see an opponent in front of her, getting pummeled. It had features of Naruto, the cause of all this. Sasuke was there, too, since the boy had a bit of the blame on his shoulders as well. And Tsunade, keeping the Hokage's secrets even while training her. There were small parts of her parents and numerous other people she knew. The image of all her troubles firmly in her mind, she lay into the opponent with all the gusto she could manage.

Intercepting strike. Drop slam. Rolling Recovery. Death point attempt.

She was now lost in the feeling. The elated sense of causing harm to another being, even if only in her mind, had caught her and trapped her in this state between consciousness and sleep, so she kept moving with speed more suited to Sasuke than a medical kunoichi.

Paralysis technique. Two point break. Redirected Drop.

She also missed the eyes that tracked her every movement. They bore no color, just pitch black, interrupted by millions of motes of light. As she performed move after move, they seemed to grow heavier, sadder. At the same time they were laughing. She was quite an incredible specimen after all. How much she would learn was still up for question, but if tradition could be trusted she could grow to be quite powerful.

But not yet, the girl was young. She would learn at her own pace, and when it came time to finally understand, she would do so without question or hesitation. That was just the type of person she was.

Bracing technique. Six point circle seal. Fading willow strike...

Endgame.

Sakura froze in the final position, her imaginary opponent's lifeless eyes staring at her peacefully, her open palm piercing his heart. In dreams no one died painfully. Still, what the hell was a fading willow strike?

Now that she thought about it, what did she just do? She remembered moving, flowing from one position into another but everything else was a blur. Terms she had never heard were pouring into her mind. It was assuring her that she had performed these moves, more complex than she could ever imagine, much less hope to perform.

Her mind had had enough. She fell to her knees, the light in her eyes growing dull, the stress of the day, and month, in fact, catching up to her, leaving her sleeping peacefully for the first time in days.

As her body was about to hit the ground, two hands caught her. The boy cradled her to his chest and looked at her face, his blue eyes studying her features. Sighing, he moved a hand to her cheek; she was now truly beyond the point of return. Gently he ran a finger down the smooth skin, leaving a small trail of blood, which almost instantly disappeared, to be replaced by a single, stylized black line.

"Welcome, Sakura-chan. To the path of first mastery," Naruto paused looking up from the girl into the night sky, "I'm sorry."

A leaf came loose from a nearby tree, a victim of too much air pressure. It flew through the air before settling on the ground of an empty training field, unnoticed by anyone. After all, who would be up at such an hour?

* * *

**Shadris Corner:**

Prime Weapon – Any member of the two Shadris sub races possesses a single weapon that is completely soul bound to them, usually it is crafted by the user, but in some cases may have been crafted by one of the great sages. It is indestructible and serves as a strong focus for their magic. Normally the weapon is kept dematerialized, but can be accessed instantly if it is needed. The weapon may also contain very high level enchantments crafted by the wielder, usually used to aid focusing of a particular type of magic of technique. Further they are partially sentient and can not be used by anyone other the recognized wielder and perhaps his or her mates. Since they are part of the wielder's soul, should the wielder die the weapon dies with them.

In addition to a prime weapon a Shadris will possess an Honor weapon often used in duels, several Shadris common weapons which will be discussed at length later, and a racial weapon which is a part of the Shadris' body.

To Note: The house Endrai Prime Weapon is traditionally a bladed staff, though it can take the place of the Honor Weapon if the user possesses an affinity for a different type.

**Author's Notes:**

Having read this chapter with the edits and changes I am happy to say that it is satisfactory to the point where I will call it version 1.1. Though true some things are a bit too sudden, they get across the point I wanted to show. I do wonder if anyone's yet noticed a certain similarity with Ch. 5 yet.

Thanks for reading this trash, if you still are.

Oh, and for reference, the dark part hasn't even remotely started yet.  
/me REALLY evilgrins

Ch. 3 – Version 1.1

Proofread by sharingank


	4. Burning

Chapter 4 – Burning

It was four months after she began her training with Naruto that people began to notice the changes her daily exercises wrought in her skill.

Surprisingly, it was not one of her closer friends that pointed this out to her. Instead, Hinata had seen what so many others had missed.

It was during Sakura's year of teaching that Hyuuga Hanabi began her journey to become a ninja of Konoha. Sakura found the girl to be pleasant enough, especially compared to Neji, though she lacked the charm that Hinata seemed to possess in abundance. Always a bit cold, the girl rarely spoke, though replied quite politely when asked after.

In the middle of September a special parental visit day took place, allowing parents of the Academy students to visit the school and see the environment in which their children learned, and the qualifications of the teachers responsible for bringing them into the world of the ninjas.

Hanabi's father, Hiashi, had been unable to attend, an expected turn of events. The head of one of the most influential houses of Konoha rarely had the time for miscellaneous visits such as this.

In their father's place, Hinata came to watch Hanabi learn, a task most likely meant to expand the experience of the future clan head. Hinata had grown well over the past few years. Gone was the stuttering girl, now replaced with a self confident, though still quiet, young woman.

That particular day began quite normally. Sakura talked about poisons and counter poisons at some length to a group of unusually attentive students, quietly wishing for a few more of these parent visit days.

Hanabi took an unusually large part in the discussion, answering question after question where normally she would remain sitting quietly. When Sakura glanced up at Hinata, she saw a bright smile donning the girl's lips. Hanabi had obviously known how shy her sister had been during the academy days, and was dedicated to showing that she could be brave where Hinata had been timid. It pleased Sakura to see Hinata appreciate the girl's efforts. Though they were never close friends, the Hyuuga girl did at times provide some company, and was on friendly terms with Naruto, resulting in his occasional discussion of Hyuuga politics.

Hinata did not want Hanabi to suffer quite like she did for being shy or quiet, so seeing the child taking such an active part was quite pleasing.

It was some time later that Sakura released the class and followed them downstairs, where a sparring exhibition would be performed.

She caught up to Hinata on the way down.

"Hi, Hinata-chan," Sakura began brightly, "what did you think?"

Hinata smiled. "Your lesson was wonderful, Sakura-san. I so wish father would let me try my hand at teaching," she paused for a moment, "I still have hope that he will relent. It would be wonderful experience after all, don't you think?"

Sakura nodded. She was learning as much, if not more from these kids as they were learning from her. "Yes, it's something you could definitely use as a clan head. I could ask Tsunade to help persuade your father if you want."

Hinata smiled thankfully. "How is Hanabi doing?" she asked, changing the topic. "Am I safe in my assumption that she is not usually the center of attention?"

"You've got her figured out, Hinata-chan," Sakura laughed, "She's normally rather quiet. I guess she wanted to show off in front of you today. She is a bit more vocal than you were at her age."

Hinata let the friendly jibe pass unnoticed. "That's good to hear. I was afraid father had put too much pressure on the poor child, made her think she was above everyone else."

This too was a facet of the new Hinata. Before, she would not dare speak against her father even over the most minor of topics. These days contradicting the man, at least in front of her friends, seemed to have become a favorite pastime.

"It seems that being around other kids her age has mellowed her out," she continued.

Sakura stayed silent. It was true the girl did not have any of the habits Hinata had feared she would, but she still remained one of the quietest girls in the class, and therefore far from the most popular. That she was first in her class did not help. It was best that Hinata not concern herself with these things though, lest the rift that many had feared from the Hyuuga family come to pass.

Engaged in conversation, the two young women reached the training area behind the school.

The grassy field was normally used to practice the more destructive techniques that had a chance of damaging the school. A small forest surrounded it, acting as a fence of sorts. The wooden training dummies that usually littered the field had been cleared away in anticipation of the presentations that would be happening that day.

Pointing Hinata toward the back where the parents were gathering, Sakura went to join Naruto and Sasuke in front of the students.

When the crowds had gathered and it was apparent that no more students or parents were likely to come, Iruka walked into the center of the field.

"Parents, thank you for coming. You are granting us quite an honor by visiting these grounds," Iruka spoke in a cheerful voice, "It is traditional that the students show some of the skills they have learned over their time at the academy on this day. There will be some sparring, where any match is welcome. Please understand this is not a tournament, as we have seen parents get rather excited over the years. I'll let the future ninjas of Konoha take over from here."

With that the teacher stepped out of the limelight and let the kids spread out to show off.

There was some point to these games, Sakura knew. Though not as intense as the final stage of the Chunnin exam, these small sessions were meant to show parents how powerful their children had become in only a few months. If duly impressed, most parents would be doubly likely to allow their other children to enter when they came of age.

She winced as, on the field, Hanabi performed a rather strong gentle fist combination on a boy. Instead of falling and crying, as many would have expected, the boy merely spit out some blood and resumed sparring, undaunted.

Next to her, Naruto chuckled, watching the same fight. "That kid, Kiyomori, he's going to be something, I think."

Sakura nodded absently. Naruto did not speak to her much these days, something she had still not grown used to. Their training was always silent, and during school they rarely saw each other.

They kept watching for over an hour, occasionally commenting on a student here and there. Finally, the kids grew bored and parted with their parents. Many of the teachers left as well, their duties catching up with them. Soon only a small handful of people remained. Hanabi was still tussling with Kiyomori, whose parents were obviously some of the few no-shows. Hinata was sitting on a rock, talking to the mother of another Hyuuga child in the class. It was amazing to see a branch house member get along with someone of the main house, but Sakura was thankful.

Suddenly Naruto spoke. "Hey Iruka, want to have a spar, for old times sake?"

The man in question favored Naruto with a curious gaze before nodding his assent.

The two went into the field and began exchanging light blows, both showing considerable grace. Sakura noticed that the dance was curiously absent today, and Naruto was moving with his usual jerky and sudden style.

Next to her Sasuke shuffled in his spot. He was obviously restless, but did not want to leave without Sakura or Naruto. Catching the mood, Sakura turned to her friend.

"How about it Sasuke? Let's show Naruto what we're made of." She grinned; if anything got his attention, it was the opportunity to show off in front of Naruto.

The two moved toward where Naruto and Iruka were playing and began their own spar.

Soon Sakura found herself dodging Sasuke's blows. They were both going rather slowly, more of a game of tag than a fight. Sasuke aimed a punch under which Sakura rolled, trying to use her momentum to trip the boy. Instead he jumped over and landed where she would have been had she not stopped rolling. In response, she pivoted on her arms, doing a handstand, and launched a kick toward his head, which was easily dodged, before flipping herself upright.

She did not notice Naruto and Iruka winding down, nor the attention her fight with Sasuke had garnered among the remaining students and parents.

Now Sasuke was trying to trip her with a hooked leg. Not one to fall for such a thing, she merely flipped out of the way, landing gracefully on her feet a small distance away, her arm raised to catch the punch that came toward her chest. She spun, attempting a chop at Sasuke's neck, which was blocked quite quickly.

And so they continued, back and forth, for many minutes. At last Sakura was starting to feel slightly winded and raised a hand in surrender. Sasuke smiled at her, and took her hand in his, thanking her for the match.

Around them the small group of remaining people let off a round of applause.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Sakura smiled and moved to sit on Hinata's rock.

"That was wonderful," said Hinata when Sakura sat down, "You've improved so incredibly. Those moves were so graceful I thought you were an ANBU training."

Sakura waved it off. "Nonsense, Hinata-chan. That was just normal sparring with Sasuke, I'm nowhere near the skill of an ANBU yet."

"Sister is right, Sakura-sensei. You fought like my cousin Yoshi. He has recently become an ANBU, and I often see him practicing with Neji-san," Hanabi provided helpfully.

Sakura looked incredulously at the two sisters. Surely she could not fight with the skill of one of the Konoha elites, even in sparring. The looks on their faces were quite earnest though. Confused, she glanced at the rest of the group. In that second, Naruto looked up and caught her eye. His face sported a small smirk, and he nodded at her before turning away and walking off with Iruka.

She sat there for a few minutes, wondering what that meant, while next to her the Hyuuga sisters got up, and, with a few parting words, headed toward the front of the school.

The field was almost empty. Sakura stood up and took her leave. At the entrance of the building, she was quite surprised to see Sasuke waiting for her.

"Sakura, I would like a word."

She nodded, wondering what this was about. He seemed to be hesitant, worrying about something with a rather un-Sasukeish look on his face.

"Would you like to join me for dinner next Friday, around eight?" he asked quietly.

She resisted the urge to stare. True, she had gone out with him on two occasions, the only girl to her knowledge that had accomplished the feat, but both times it had been at her prompting. What had caused him to ask her so suddenly?

Mulling this over in her head she shrugged. "Of course Sasuke-kun. I'll see you then."

Satisfied, he walked off, leaving her quite confused.

* * *

The day of the date came quickly, as days were wont to recently. Constant teaching during the day, and training in the Dance during the night kept her busy. She idly realized that she had not slept for three days. For a moment, she considered following that train of thought, but sleep was not the biggest of her problems. She was not even a bit tired, anyway, and she needed to prepare for her date.

It was already quite late, almost eight in fact, and had this been half a year earlier she would have been trying on her hundredth dress and an even higher number of shades of makeup. Instead, she grabbed a pretty dress that caught her eye and ran into the bathroom. Quickly, she picked a few colors she knew would not clash and applied a small amount to her face.

Glancing in the mirror, she was satisfied with her work. Pulling on her dress, she walked downstairs to wait for the doorbell. On her way down she passed her mother, who was starting to show signs of her pregnancy. The woman commented on her wonderful appearance, which Sakura waved off.

Sasuke did not keep her waiting for long. At eight sharp the doorbell rang and the pair set out.

He was dressed rather casually, something she had expected. He would have looked nice in a more traditional dress she was sure, but it was not his style.

They headed to a rather nice Sashimi place. They had both found that they enjoyed the atmosphere the last time they had gone. The restaurant was near a park, and on the way there Sakura was quick to suggest a walk after dinner to enjoy the early autumn trees.

The pair entered the restaurant and quickly got a table. While the place was quite popular, a spot was not particularly hard to come by.

Promptly, the two ordered, and at last had some time for serious conversation.

Sakura rested her chin on her clasped hands, and favored Sasuke with a curious look. Sasuke returned it, examining the left side of her face. "I've been meaning to ask Sakura, what's that tattoo about?"

Sakura paused. This was something she had asked herself several months ago when she first woke to see it adorning her face. Her recollection of the previous night was non existent, a fact that worried her slightly, but the slanted mark looked like it belonged, so she did not let it worry her too much. To this day, however, she still did not know what it meant.

"Oh, so many ninjas have some sort of tattoo I just thought it would be nice to get one myself. Nothing big, just a nick. Doesn't it look cute?" She gave him the same lie she had given her parents.

Sasuke grunted a non-committal 'hn' and turned his attention from the mark.

"You are getting better you know, you really had me tired with that sparring session on the parent visit day."

Sakura just smiled in response. She had accepted that she had improved more than she had right to, and took it in stride. That Sasuke felt tired after was an interesting revelation, but she had started to feel some of that herself back then.

She studied his face and winced for an instant. That look, the annoying, calculating look had returned to his eyes as it had during their previous dates. Not letting it bother her, she picked up a new topic, which they carried on until the food arrived, and then after they had finished. They discussed the academy and the students, their training regiments, and even Sakura's soon to be sister.

"How do you feel about that anyway, being a sister?" he had asked.

She had told him, honestly, that she was looking forward to the event. She had long ago decided that even with her initial misgivings, a child in the house would be a nice change of pace. True, she did not expect to remain living there for more then a few more years, but it would be nice to watch her sister growing up.

At last they were finished, and Sasuke paid the bill. The two rose and headed to the park they had spied earlier. The sun had set a while ago and lamps lining the streets illuminated their path.

They walked hand in hand, enjoying the silence and peace of the village. Finally Sakura saw a bench dragged Sasuke towards it.

Seated next to each other, Sakura looked up at the sky, which had caught her attention more and more these days, while Sasuke observed surrounding trees with the slightly yellowing leaves.

Eventually, Sasuke broke the comfortable silence.

"Sakura..." he began, "I don't think we should do this again."

To her surprise, this did not come as a shock. She had expected him to say that.

"Yeah..." she said quietly.

"When I'm with you, I feel unusual, Sakura. For some time I thought this was love, the love that you mentioned to me all those years ago," he paused.

Sakura knew the moment he was talking about. It was summer and she was still twelve, on the day that Sasuke left seeking Orochimaru, leaving Naruto in the hospital and her broken hearted. Looking back, she wondered if she really were in love then… Perhaps she would never know.

"But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is not love, Sakura. With you, I do not get the warmth that some of the idiots always talk about, nor the feeling of absolute rightness."

She nodded at that, too. They were still so young, what did they really know about love?

"That's why I wanted to ask you out today Sakura," Sasuke stopped and finally turned towards her, "To say thank you."

Her eyes met his. For the first time on any of their dates, the look she had come to dread had disappeared from his eyes. He looked quite beautiful now, without that cold cruel appearance. Acting on instinct she moved forward and placed her lips on his cheek in an absolutely chaste kiss.

"You're right, Sasuke," whispered Sakura, "this is for the best."

Her mind was not on what he had said, already glossing past it. Instead she looked up at the night sky. She knew the exact distance to the star that had suddenly caught her eyes. A mere five hundred and two light years. It was a Class A star burning a bright blue, quite young as far as stars go. It could not support life, though the binary combination rather close to it could, and did. She knew these things naturally, and perhaps she always had. It terrified her even as it fascinated her, made her happier than she had ever been.

"And thank you too, Sasuke," she said so quietly she was sure he could not have heard, "thank you for everything."

* * *

The next few months passed into the annals of history silently. As she worked and trained, Sakura continued to change. Soon even the students noticed. Following her last date with Sasuke, she had upped her training regiment, now practicing almost the entire time she was not at the Academy. Still, she knew she could not reach even a fraction of the grace she had seen Naruto exhibit when he danced.

Her parents were slightly worried, but she assured them that everything would be for the best. So intent on upcoming birth of the baby, they had taken Sakura for her word.

She and Sasuke still sparred quite often, though the feel of the spars had changed as well. They were friendlier, not feeling as forced now that their relationship was cleared up.

She had even heard that Sasuke had gone on a date with Ino. This came surprisingly not from Ino herself, but TenTen, whom Sakura had caught gossiping with a few other Chuunin girls when visiting the Hokage.

Naruto was still silent, though he seemed to be smiling a lot more these days, not his trademark grin, but a smaller, truer smile.

It was into this atmosphere that Sakura's sister was born. It was a chilly February morning when word had come to Sakura's class via a Genin who was stationed at the hospital for just such occasions.

Excusing herself, she ran to get Iruka, who was free that morning, and asked him if he could take over for the remainder of the day. When the man heard the reason why, he was too happy to send Sakura on her way.

She arrived at the hospital just in time. Normally, only the husband was permitted in the birthing room, but as she was a certified med-nin trained by the Legendary Tsunade, she was admitted without any hassle.

Sakura ran into the room as the head had finally appeared. She watched, fascinated, as the doctor delivered the baby, cleaned it, and at last presented the child to her mother.

"Hello there," said the eldest Haruno to her daughter, "I'm your mommy."

Sakura smiled, watching her father do likewise.

"She was the same with you, you know," he whispered to her as an aside.

Blushing a bit, she returned her attention to the baby.

The girl cooed and reached out her arms.

"She's beautiful mother," Sakura said, moving closer to the bed and looking gently at her sister, "Hello, Imouto. I'm gonna make sure you grow up to be a wonderful person."

The baby giggled, and suddenly Sakura had the image of a beautiful white flower opening up to greet the sun.

"Lily," she whispered.

Her parents did not hear her, their attention focused on their new daughter.

"Yuri, that's your name," said her mother proudly, "You are Yuri, our spring lily."

* * *

It was early March when Sakura's parents left for their annual visit to her grand-father's place on the border of Fire Country. Unlike previous years, Sakura could not come, as she was far too busy with her teaching. Yuri remained behind also. The weather was still chilly, and Sakura's parents were worried about the baby catching a cold. Sakura was left with detailed instructions on baby care. The next few days were quite relaxing for her, as she had stopped training in order to dote on her sister.

Several of the kids did ask slightly embarrassing questions about Yuri when Sakura brought her to class, but these were solved quickly by a yell of, "I'm only FIFTEEN, do you really think that's my daughter?"

The week passed quickly. The last day was the first time Sakura had slept in months. These sorts of occurrences had stopped even registering in her mind. She had long ago realized that Naruto had warned her she would change, and now she was seeing the result. She had not known how tired she truly was, nor how long it had been since her last visit to her bed until one day she lay down watching Yuri play in her crib. The fatigue hit her like a sack of bricks, and she collapsed into a pleasant dream of a beautiful pink haired woman wooing a dark haired boy strangely reminiscent of Sasuke.

It was at one in the morning that she woke up, her dream suddenly interrupted. Her parents would be returning soon, she knew from experience. The trip took over sixteen hours at their normal pace, and had they left early in the morning as they always had, they would be reaching the town around this time.

Hoping to meet them with tea after such a long journey, she picked up Yuri and walked downstairs.

Several minutes later she had boiled enough water for the family. After warming a bottle of milk for her sister, she poured herself some tea, and the two girls settled down to wait. It was on her second cup that it happened. Sakura felt as if her body had turned to ice, and then pain, burning and unending, seared through her. At the same time, Yuri dropped her bottle and began to cry.

Quickly, Sakura jumped up and scooped the girl into her arms. Something horrible had happened, she knew instinctively. Yuri would not stop crying in her arms, and Sakura gave up trying to calm her down with her usual rocking. Instead, she recalled a lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was young.

_Mukudori, yamabato, koganegumo  
Omurasaki mo yume no nake  
Otsukimisou wa nemurenai  
Gin no shizuku wo nonda kara_

She rocked with the child and sang, whatever had happened. Her first concern was her sister.

_Yuusuge, kisuge, konohazuku  
Yofukashi nousagi, benisuzume  
Shippo no kireta tokage no ko  
Kawari ni tsukeru ryuu no tama_

Why had their parents not returned yet? The clock now read two in the morning. Perhaps they had trouble getting through the gate. She knew Tsunade had been careful the past few weeks from a tip she had received recently.

_Dokuzeri, asebi, yamakagashi  
Mozu no eda ni wa amagaeru  
Kitsune ga tabeta shika no ko wa  
Tsuki no momo-ito mite shinda_

Two thirty now. Yuri had drifted off into a troubled slumber. The poor child seemed to be having a nightmare. Sakura did not stop singing, the song granting her the strength to keep going.

_Oyasumi yoiko  
Oyasumi..._

The clock struck seven when Sakura looked up next. She heard slow footsteps coming up the street, before they stopped in front of her house. They seemed louder than her bustling neighbors. The steps resumed again, now walking toward her door.

A woman's sharp gasp was audible from the house next door, though she paid it no mind.

At last there was a knock on her door, slow and determined.

She stood up, little Yuri stirring slightly in her arms but otherwise remaining silent. The trek to the door should have been one of the most horrible things she ever had to do, yet her mind did not seem to register any discomfort. Instead she felt a sense of detachment as she reached for the doorknob, as if it was someone else driving her body, and she was merely seeing the events.

She opened the door to find herself looking into the eyes of her teammates, both of them quiet and sullen. Behind them stood Kakashi, his mood mirroring theirs. The group outside the door took a moment to register her presence and another for the bundle in her arms.

She heard Naruto grit his teeth while Sasuke's expression became even stonier.

"May we come in?" asked Kakashi.

She nodded and stepped aside, tracking the progress of the guests. When they were inside she took a moment to peer out, where the aging Endo-san stood, a hand over her mouth. She gave the older woman a sad glance before closing the door.

Inside her teammates stood waiting for her to acknowledge them. She nodded them toward the dining room, idly noticing that none of them bothered to remove their footwear as they went.

They gathered around the table, exchanging dark looks.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Sakura..."

Both Naruto and Sasuke tried to start, but trailed off at a loss.

She studied her old mentor, who gave a deep sigh. He reached up and removed the headband covering his left eye, and then he did the unthinkable: he took off his mask.

Astonished, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura gaped at him. In all of their years together they had never seen his face. He was quite good looking for someone over thirty, though they did not dwell on that long.

Kakashi focused his eyes on Sakura, before placing his hand on the table.

"We were asked to deliver this by the Hokage," he said, before withdrawing his hand, a single sheet of paper in its place.

Sakura stared at it. She did not need to pick it up to know what it contained. There was, after all, only one form in the Konoha ninja world that bore that particular shade of yellow. Closing her eyes, she wondered why she did not weep.

* * *

_ANBU Notice 7 – Civilian casualty  
Present to – Haruno Sakura, Chuunin, Konoha  
Security Clearance 3_

_Dear Haruno-san,_

_We regret to inform you Haruno Akina and Yasuo have been involved in an ANBU class  
battle during their return to Konoha on this day (March 14th). Further information has  
been classified Security Clearance 4. Please present this letter at the Hall of Records  
to obtain related documents._

_In addition, your parents have been awarded posthumously the title of honorary  
Konoha Ninja and will be marked upon the Memorial Stone at 1000 hours on  
March the 16th.  
_

_Sincerely,  
_

_Kashikoi Kisho  
Head Clerk  
Konoha Hall of Records_

_

* * *

_

**Shadris Corner:**

Shadris Assassin's Guild – Formed quite recently the assassin's guild is not the first such in the history of the Shadris. Normally such guilds operate by accepting request from beings over the multiverse for strategic assassination. Assassinations of Shadris are forbidden due to several ancient laws and the Shadris senses of Honor and Revenge. Any other race is fair game. Due to an almost 100 percent success rate the rates are quite steep, often less preferable to trading with a demon for the requestor's soul which, to note, results in a greatly lower chance of success.

The current guild was formed as an offshoot of the House Raven preceding the time of the 1st Legacy. It was meant to be a minor branch to handle miscellaneous requests that would not merit a Raven operative. It was instantly popular among the rather busy Shadris, and quickly expanded into an existence wide organization providing service to most races. I grew into a rather vast, poorly structured political body, which is attributed to bringing the events predicted in the 1st Legacy and the collapse of the Seeker Council.

After final battle upon the Springs of Memories the Lady Ascendant Shier Raven realized that the Assassin's guild was out of control. She returned the reign of the guild into the direct control of the House Raven and requested help from several top ranked members of other Great Houses to help control both her own Elite Raven operatives and the Assassin's guild. Now aided by many experienced, and less busy leaders the guild reshaped itself into the current structure. In the lower ranks it remains intertwined almost entirely with House Raven. Further progress within the house is limited to members not part of other Shadris houses. The only exceptions to this rule are the elite Raven Special Operations team, the hand picked, highly secretive Advanced Raven Special Operations and the Mission Commanders mentioned earlier.

Any members of outside houses are permitted to proceed into the Assassin's guild proper, and advance in ranks as they would in any other Shadris political structure.

**Author's Notes:**

Some minor details to answer before anyone asks. Sasuke didn't notice the changes because he spars with Sakura and Naruto regularly. Though the difference over four months is huge a few days would barely be noticeable. Also, some may notice that Sakura really should be freaking about what's happening to her. She's not. That's all I've to say on it.

I'm sure some will recognize the lullaby. I'm thinking of something a tad more original, but for now that will work as a placeholder. If you don't know where it's from... Well... You are quite sheltered.

Tiki

Ch. 4 – Version 1.0

Proofread by sharingank


	5. Accepting

Chapter 5 – Accepting

Sakura stood looking over her sister as she slept peacefully in the crib. The girl would grow up not knowing the love of her parents. All Sakura could offer was the closeness of a sister, a kunoichi sister no less. In this profession you never knew when your life could be forfeit; could she subject her sister to a life with such uncertainty hanging over her?

Sakura shook her head. Best not to think about these sorts of things right now. Her mind was troubled enough as it was.

Satisfied that Yuri was sleeping peacefully, Sakura turned around and walked down to the dining room. The house was silent, more so than it had right to be. It would remain that way from now on, too. She sat down and stared blankly at the table.

The letter still lay there, unread, in the same spot Kakashi had left it earlier that day. She could not bring herself to feel the sorrow that was to be expected. Not a tear had been shed, nor a sob uttered. She contented herself by glancing woodenly at the letter, wondering why the emotions would not come.

It was in this position that she heard a faint knock at her door. Turning she glanced at the clock. Three in the morning. Who would be up at such an hour?

She stood and walked toward the entrance. Whoever it was, they would take her mind off her troubles, however briefly.

She opened the door and stared into the night. Sharp blue eyes looked back at her.

Naruto. She had wanted to sit down and speak to him for quite a while, but the opportunity to talk alone never presented itself. Now here he was, at her house for the second time in the past 24 hours. Looks like all it took to get his attention was a great tragedy—hers, no less.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. Could I come in?" he asked.

She nodded and led him into the house. When team seven made their visit earlier in the morning they had not stayed long. The three men left shortly after delivering the news. This sort of loss was not something they could understand.

She had toyed with the idea of being angry with them for not staying to comfort her in such a moment of need, but had discarded the idea just as quickly. She had to come up with her own ways of handling the pain. Nevertheless, she was glad that Naruto was here now.

Working quickly she brewed up some tea and set two cups down on the table. Satisfied, she sat waiting for him to speak.

He remained silent, watching her intently. This was not the same look she had seen on Sasuke's face during their dates; instead it was more questioning, somehow both warmer and colder at the same time.

He remained so until Sakura chose to interrupt the silence, "It should hurt," she whispered.

He looked satisfied as he nodded, "Yeah, I think so too."

Sakura took a moment to stare at Naruto. It was the first time he had truly spoken to **her** since that night.

Ignoring the stare directed at him, Naruto spoke. "You'll learn to feel more later on though. We all do. It's one hell of a release when it comes."

Though Sakura showed no visible reaction, inside she was shocked. In one phrase he explained so many of the questions that had been plaguing her for so long.

"What is – Us?" she asked cautiously.

In response he grinned, "What do you want us to be?"

Though she was sure there was a double meaning behind the question, she chose to remain sullen.

Seeing that his attempt to lighten the mood failed, he looked up at the ceiling, suddenly lost in thought.

"You know, Sakura-chan, that's an interesting question. What I am, and what you're going to be is... Well… **Us**," he spoke the last word in a way she had never heard before. It was as if eons of wisdom had become condensed into that single syllable, overwhelming her.

The illusion was shattered when he shrugged, "I dunno how to explain it. Not without quoting some old, dusty guys, and sure as hell not in a way you can really get it." He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry Sakura-chan, you'll know when you need to."

She turned her thoughts over while he remained in his position.

"How about two warnings though," he offered. "First, don't make promises you're not ready to keep; they always come back to kick you in the ass. Don't underestimate how important things are either. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this now, but sometimes what's most precious to you is something you took for granted all along. We simply stand lose a lot more than the everyone else."

Sakura looked at Naruto carefully, "Did you…?"

"Yes," he replied suddenly, looking straight into her eyes, "yes I did."

She absently noted that Naruto looked much cuter with blue eyes, than the color he sported now. Really... really… real…..

A muffled thump echoed through the room as Sakura's head hit the table, the girl completely asleep.

"You need to take care of yourself, Sakura-chan. Everyone has to sleep sometime. You don't think things through well enough when you're tired," he chided her.

He cleared the table and picked her up, taking her to her room. After she was lying in bed he took a few minutes to look at her form. It was probably best she didn't remember this meeting; his warning would serve well enough as a dream. He would not risk her because of his own mistake.

"Nighty night. Sakura-chan," he said, running a finger across her forehead, "and you too, Yuri-chan."

Satisfied that the Harunos were both safely in bed he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Now alone in Sakura's house he leaned against the wall.

"Damn," he sighed. "Damn it all."

* * *

The weather had changed overnight. Where the previous day had been bright and sunny, clouds now threatened to bring down torrents of rain on Konoha.

Sakura thought this appropriate, for her mood was just as stormy. Tomorrow she would attend her parents' funeral. She would look upon their names, carved into the stone, perhaps even run her fingers along the deep grooves as she had seen Kakashi do at times. She would not, though, feel sorrow, anger, or anything at all, really. Her mood was dark.

She wanted those feelings. They were natural, yet she could not experience them.

She had fed Yuri quite recently, and was now thinking of going out to let her mind wander away from her own troubles. She had refrained earlier, afraid that the pity she would see from all of her friends would simply serve to kindle her own anger. That was one of the few emotions that did not seem to suffer from her predicament. The silence was getting to her though, and she needed some interaction before she went crazy.

Her eyes fell once again upon the fateful letter. It seemed to be taunting her, goading her to open it up and read the words she had been avoiding. Angrily she grabbed at the paper, crumpling it in the process. Unfolding it, she noted that it was almost exactly as she had imagined.

One part in particular caught her attention. Since when had she been cleared for classified level 3? Last she checked, she did not even rate a 5. Something felt off about the situation, but her mind was now busy with a wide assortment of new possibilities. The letter did not mention anything about the killers. They could still be at large. Perhaps a trip to Records really was in order.

After checking to make sure Yuri was sleeping peacefully, Sakura headed to the front door.

A small part of her wondered if this was really such a good idea—a part that was efficiently silenced by the rest of her mind. Anger, after all, was not the only emotion she could feel. As she closed the front door, the only word in her mind was vengeance.

Briskly, she walked the familiar path toward the Hokage's tower. The people on the way paid her no heed. In a ninja town like Konoha death was such a common occurrence that news of it posed little interest to the average folk. This suited Sakura perfectly. She was on a mission now, one that she did not want to be disturbed from.

"Sakura!"

She nearly snarled as she turned toward the source. Ino stood a few feet away, her face unreadable. The two had not seen each other in a while, though Sakura would have really enjoyed the other girl's company at many times in the past few months. Now however her presence was more a distraction than anything else.

"Ino," she replied evenly. It felt strange not to hear their pet names, but she wanted to get to the tower. Noting the coldness, the blonde girl favored Sakura with a deep look. "Would you like to go get some tea?" She asked.

Not seeing any simple reasons to refuse, Sakura nodded and followed Ino in the opposite direction of the tower.

They found a small café hidden on a side branch off the main road. The place was nearly deserted, quite perfect for the serious discussion they were about to have. Getting two cups from the owner, they sat in a corner and waited for one or the other to start.

"How are you holding up?" Asked Ino, finally tired of the silence. "I only heard today, and I couldn't believe something like this would happen."

Sakura nodded, "It did anyway, didn't it."

Ino was taken aback at this cold attitude, but chose not to comment.

"It doesn't make sense, none of this does," said Sakura, words beginning to pour out, "They were always peaceful people, loyal to the village, neither rich nor poor. Just your average family. Then something like this happens, and all that is for nothing. Now I can't even cry. I've been living like this for so many years, and now it's all gone. You want to know how I'm holding up? I'll tell you how, Tomorrow is their fuckin funeral Ino. You understand that, TOMORROW I BURY MY PARENTS!" Sakura leaned back in her chair. Her outburst had attracted the attention of the owner and the few other patrons; each was now watching her curiously, wondering if the girl would have anything more to add.

Calming her breathing, Sakura bowed her head, "Sorry about that Ino. Everything is rushing in all at once. These emotions aren't what I should be feeling."

Slightly surprised at her mood swings, Ino nodded. "It's okay, Sakura. I wish I could say I understood, but this pain is something that I simply can't grasp. I want you to know though, if you need me, as a friend, as a sister, or even as a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you."

This was something new for Sakura. This was not the pity she was expecting. Instead, she received understanding, even if only to a small degree. "Alright, Ino-chan, I'll take you up on that someday."

The two girls spent the next few minutes in silence, enjoying each other's company, and the calm atmosphere.

At last Sakura's mission reasserted itself in her mind. Though the rest helped lighten her desire for vengeance, it had not even started to pass.

"Thanks for all this Ino-chan, it means a lot to me. I have to go though, I really need to see something, something important," she trailed off.

Ino looked at her curiously, but then nodded. "All right Sakura-chan, don't do anything that you'd come to regret," she gave a warm smile. It had been a while since the two had used those pet names, but now they were back, perhaps for good.

As Sakura got up she muttered under her breath, "Even pain is better than this."

"What was that?" asked Ino, looking up from the table.

"I said get Sasuke for both of us. Me and him are through after all," she lied, ignoring what may have been guilt. It was time to do something extreme, and it was best Ino did not know.

As she walked out of the Café her cold mask returned. Somewhere ahead of her loomed the tower of records, and in there the truth she so desired.

* * *

The hall of records had not changed much since Sakura last stepped in there. Still the same old book smell, still the pale head librarian, still the stony quiet interrupted only by sudden yells in the Records dialect. It was her that was different.

She walked up to the desk, clutching the fateful note in her fist. The librarian raised her head, waiting for the inevitable request.

"I would like to request all information on a file related to this notice," she said, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

The lady at the desk took the paper, reading over it carefully.

"Ahh yes, Haruno-san," she said, "You're expected, believe it or not. Quite rare to see such a jump in clearance, some interesting circumstances here no doubt," she trailed off, looking at a large book on her desk.

Sakura realized that an explanation of said circumstances was not to be forthcoming, so she simply stood back, waiting for the file.

Finally, the librarian looked up at her. "Since this is your first visit at this clearance you probably do not know of the rules regarding such documents." It was not a question.

Sakura nodded nonetheless.

"These documents may hold some of the highest secrets of Konoha, therefore every file you may ever see in this room will never leave it. I'm sure I don't need to explain to you what would happen if something went missing," the threat was impossible to miss. "Of course since the Hokage feels you are ready to have such responsibility there won't be any issues."

Sakura nodded mutely. All the previous times she had been in here the librarian had never shown much in the way of emotions, and certainly never any mistrust. Now it was so incredibly obvious. This new clearance would be interesting.

The librarian continued, "Clearly many of these documents are important enough that they contain information even someone fully cleared might not need to know, therefore any time you request information a detailed report on the purpose of the inquiry should be submitted."

Sakura's heart sank. How would she explain her desire to track the last few minutes of her parents' life, to find those responsible and avenge them in the most direct way possible? The librarian, ignoring the girl's inner turmoil, continued.

"Finally, and most importantly, you… will… be… silent."

At that Sakura stared incredulously at the woman, before giggling to herself. "Yes M'am. I understand."

The librarian treated the girl with an even look before reaching into her desk. "The Hokage has cleared these files for your viewing. I'm sure you want to get to it."

Heading to the reading room, Sakura looked at the endless shelves of the Hall. Every one of them represented an event, some important, others not. How many deaths were stored in these halls, how many murders...

Finally she was safely in the quiet reading room. Sitting down in a chair she opened the file and began to read.

_ANBU-Investigation report 921829_

_Subjects were found at grid location NS-72 Konoha map, having traveled by foot from the main road, where two horses were found dead. Both possessed signs of melee kunai wounds. Signs of a brief struggle were also present. Autopsy revealed presence of several unaccounted for chemicals. Assault appears to have been carried out by a group of at least nine Chunnin level or higher ninja. Residue chakra signatures suggest an involvement of highly specialized water nin. No further identification is possible as no jutsus were utilized during the attack. A full analysis of the findings follows, and cross references ANBU-Intelligence report 325812._

Briefly Sakura looked through the other sheets in the folder; one slightly censored paper bore the heading of ANBU-Intelligence and spoke of investigations into the activities of Hidden Village of the Mist. Numerous other documents, each dealing with more mist investigations and several terrain analyses. At last there was the event analysis that she most interested in. Her heart started to beat a bit faster.

She lifted the paper and lay it down before her. She needed to know what they knew. She needed the truth.

Briefly she closed her eyes and…

…_She was running through the forest, her husband a step behind her. Something had taken out their horses with kunai and was now giving chase. At first the steps of their pursuers were close behind them, but now it seemed that the pair had lost them._

"_Yasuo, what in the world was that?" She asked frantically, "What do they want with us?"_

_Her husband merely shook her head and put a finger to her lips. "Don't worry Akina, I'm sure they're just bandits."_

_Even though neither of the pair had any formal ninja training, living in a Hidden Village taught them how to defend themselves. Bandits would not be too much trouble, especially considering how easily they had outpaced them. _

_Breathing heavily, they waited for pursuit, each clutching a dagger . Several minutes passed and still there was nothing. The pair began to relax._

"_We should keep going," whispered Yasuo. "Maybe they gave up and went after another target. If we get to Konoha soon we can warn the ANBU guard and have them flushed out."_

_They were off again, this time quieter, slower. Every few minutes they would pause to listen for signs of pursuit, but luckily there were none. They made good time towards Konoha, their breaths condensing in the chilled night air. With just a few miles left to go they came upon a small clearing. A huge cherry tree stood in the center, like a monument to some long forgotten event._

_Yasuo noticed his wife was starting to breathe heavily. Normally this sort of trip would be nothing, but she had but a month ago been pregnant. She was still not quite up to her usual status._

"_Akina? Love? Let's stop here for a bit. I'm sure we've lost them"_

_She turned toward him and nodded gratefully. "Still, it's so strange to see bandits this close to Konoha," she said, leaning back against the tree. "Do you think Sakura-chan will have some tea ready for us? I'll need it to calm down after all that."_

_Yasuo nodded. "I'm sure she'll be waiting, you know how she always is…" he trailed off. "Although these days something's been off."_

_She nodded. "It's been an interesting time to be a girl. The boy she loves came back, and the demon finally lay off her a bit."_

_Her husband winced, but said nothing. It was often a point of disagreement between them whether Naruto could be trusted. Yasuo felt that the boy had proven himself to be more than honorable, but he knew that his wife would never be able to trust something that caused that much destruction, especially near her precious daughter._

_They spent a few minutes in silence before both were too cold._

"_Let's head ou-" Yasuo trailed off. She turned toward him, wondering what was wrong._

_Suddenly a sharp pain ripped though her gut, "AKIN-AUGH!"_

_She struggled to open her eyes and saw her husband on the ground, clutching at his shoulder._

"_But by all means, keep talking." It was a cold voice, colder than any ANBU she had spoken too._

_Her eyes glazed with pain, she looked towards the source of the voice. A cloaked figure stood there, several more moving in the shadows behind him. _

"_You were just beginning to get to the more interesting parts."_

_She caught her breath, trying to tune out the pain. "What do you want from us?"_

_The man shrugged. "Me? I want you to talk, then I want you to die."_

_With that he grabbed a kunai and stabbed it through Yasuo's chest._

_She could only stare in mute horror as her husband lifted his eyes and looked at her. The only thing she could see within them was an apology, and then even that faded._

"_NOOO!" She yelled, finding new strength and rushing at the man. She did not see him move to deflect, but suddenly an even sharper pain in her hand joined the searing pain in her gut. She looked at it, only to see a bloody stump._

_Shock set in as she fell to her knees, barely having enough strength to stop her fall._

"_Now then talk, I want to know everything about that… Demon."_

_She remained silent, not able to speak even if she wanted to. _

_The man noticed, and snapped his fingers., "Flame, jog her…"_

_One of the men in the background stepped forward, holding a vial of a glowing blue liquid. He roughly grabbed her head, and upended the content into her mouth, following up with a sharp blow to her back, which made her swallow everything._

_A cold feeling filled her entire body. She shuddered involuntarily and then stilled._

"_Now then," the leader started again, "I want to know everything."_

_She looked up and…_

Looked straight into a black eye.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she jumped back. Sheets went flying everywhere.

"There you are Sakura! We've been going crazy trying to find you! I sent Naruto to your house and Sasuke to ask all of your friends, but the Hokage suggested I check here."

Sakura blushed faintly. Whatever she had experienced, it was best she keep it to herself for now. "I'm sorry sensei. I just wanted something to take my mind off…" she trailed off.

Kakashi nodded, looking over her shoulder. A sheet mentioning a Mist Village investigation was lying haphazardly on the table, clearance rank clearly visible.

"I guess you got the evil librarian talk?" he coughed.

Sakura nodded hesitantly.

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively, "She's like that for all the first timers, don't let it get to you."

Meanwhile Sakura gathered up fallen papers, and dumped them into the folder. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei. I'm done here now so let's go find those two troublemakers. I could use some cheering up."

Kakashi favored her with an apprising glance and nodded. She was holding up quite well, all things considered. Some time with her friends would definitely help.

* * *

The Haruno funeral the next day was a quiet affair. All of the former rookie teams had gathered, most out of respect for Sakura than any mourning of the deceased. Sakura stood in front of the stone, holding Yuri close to her chest. It was hard to believe she was having such a final goodbye when she was so young, but she held on. Looking around she examined those who had showed up.

Hinata stood behind the small crowd next to Neji and Ten-Ten, all of whom looked rather solemn. They each liked the Haruno girl to varying degrees, though all agreed that this loss was something too much for her to experience this early.

Gai and Lee both were on the verge of tears, each no doubt thinking about Sakura's diminished flame, or some such nonsense. Thankfully neither displayed their common talkative selves, for which Sakura was infinitely grateful.

Kiba and Shino both stood near the back. Neither had known Sakura or the Haruno family well, but she was still a friend, and deserved their support.

Ino stood next to Sakura, holding her shoulder reassuringly. Off to their left Shikamaru and Chouji stood. Having Ino for a teammate, they could not help but feel closer to the Haruno girl, thus both looked forward with heavy eyes.

Even Asuma and Kurenai had made an appearance.

Finally team seven. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi flanked Sakura on all sides, none daring to touch her, yet letting no one but Ino close.

Several other people had come, most friends of the Haruno couple, though a few ninjas and even two ANBU were present in the back.

Tsunade stood at the head, two pictures set on the stones, which soon would be covered in white flowers.

"We will now be starting the funeral for two citizens killed in the line of action," she spoke, signaling the gong to ring.

"They were good people, ones I knew quite well due to my apprentice." She inclined her head at Sakura. "In the course of investigations we have found that they exhibited bravery when faced with odds they stood no chance of beating. Therefore, their names will be added to the memorial stones with all of the fallen heroes of this village."

Once again the gong sounded.

Sakura watched as everyone began the long procedure of paying respects to the fallen, each laying a flower on the stone, and saying a quick prayer. She wanted to say something, do something. Perhaps she wanted to cry, or even deny it had happened, but all she could do was stand and watch.

Naruto favored her with a distant look. Feeling his gaze she returned one in kind.

They spent a few seconds staring into each other's eyes before Naruto looked toward the sky. 'Cry' he mouthed, and cry it did, the rain coming down upon the small gathering, blanketing the village in sheets of cool water.

Sakura nodded thankfully at Naruto, though what prompted her to do it she did not know.

And at last it was her turn to step up to the memorial. She did so with no hesitation in her step. These were her parents, and she'd be damned if she showed them they raised a weak girl. In her arms Yuri looked quietly at the pictures; it was not hard to believe she understood what was going on, but that was certainly not the case.

Two roses were added to the small pile and at last Sakura bowed her head. There would be reckoning, she thought. And then she would live, and make the memory of her parents proud.

* * *

That night found Sakura leaping from tree to tree, a destination burned into her mind. Where many would have found the silence perfect she could not help but hear every minute sound. A bird shuffled in a tree, a faint breeze moved a few branches. As she neared her destination the sounds seemed to grow louder, clearer. The light too seemed to grow brighter with each step, and even now she could tell the color of every leaf on the ground.

Already she was nearing the spot on the map where the bodies were found. A chill started to rise as she got closer to the spot, though she did not care to notice where it was coming from. Suddenly there was a feeling of being followed, and she spun around, throwing three kunai into the most obvious concealment places. Each hit wood, and left her muttering out a growl. It would not be that easy, she knew.

On a whim she sniffed the air, and smelled something almost sweet. Whatever it was, she was almost there.

With each step she knew she was getting closer to the fateful spot, and with each step her thirst for revenge grew.

At last she came to a clearing, flash frozen blades of grass around her snapping like twigs as she walked through them, which did not concern her in the slightest. It was at this moment the feeling of being watched returned. Once again she twisted around and let loose the kunai, the chill evaporating instantly.

This time the kunai did not hit trees, as ten figures jumped from the shadow, blocking the weapons.

"Hmph, a ninja?" spoke a familiar voice, "No matter."

Her rage had chosen that instant to evaporate, and leave her hanging. Now acting solely on reflex she rushed the man that had spoken, trying to punch him with her augmented strength. He avoided both of her attacks, and jumped over her kick, leaving her overextended. Realizing her peril she tried to jump to the side, and was happily assisted by a strong kick.

Sliding on the grass she lost her footing and had to drop into a roll, barely recovering control of her body.

"Pitiful girl, so pitiful."

Again she rushed him, trying to catch him in the jaw, and again he dodged, slipping out of range at the last second.

He did not expect her to follow up with a spinning backhand. She grinned victoriously as she felt her hand connect, though that grin died a painful death when she realized that all she had accomplished with the attack was to shatter his mask. His face was rough and unshaven. Several scars ran from his mouth, and his eyes were a rough black, promising pain.

"Well now, I guess you'll have to die, bitch. Can't have you babbling what I look like."

A few of the men standing behind him guffawed. "Need some help with the little girl, Smoke?"

The man glared back at them before throwing a vicious haymaker at her gut. Fortunately she had seen it coming and fell backwards, aiming a kick for his crotch. The man proved to have much better control than an average brawler and stopped short, grabbing her leg as it came down.

Her eyes wide, Sakura desperately punched at his exposed leg, causing his grip to falter for a second. This was all she needed as she pushed off, and found herself lying on the ground.

With a bestial roar she rose, executing a perfect uppercut. Or what would have been perfect had the man not caught her arm.

"This is boring, bitch. How about we have a chat instead?"

Suddenly she found him behind her, holding a kunai to her throat.

She could smell it, her blood on the kunai. It was a strangely intoxicating smell, reminding her of something hanging just outside her reach.

"Doesn't she remind you of that last pair we killed?" Wondered one of the masked men, peering curiously at her. "These Konoha idiots don't know when to stop."

The remaining men barked out a laugh.

The one holding her growled for attention. "Well girl, here's your chance for a quick death. Tell us everything you know of the guard patterns. If I'm satisfied I'll make it nice and quick." He paused to glance at the rest of the company, which was starting to check her out. "Perhaps after we show you the night of your life." The last part was said with a rather lecherous undertone.

Sakura remained silent, considering what she could do and coming up blank.

The silence reigned for a long minute, until the leader decided it was time to do something to jog her memory, "Maybe you'll talk after, stupid bitch." For an instant she felt the kunai leave her throat and heard the sound of fabric being ripped. In the next moment she found herself pushed to the ground, the man's hand beginning to handle her in ways only he could ever consider erotic. Through all this the even look in her eyes never faded. The feeling was so much closer now, it was as if all she had to do was reach out and grab it.

The man's hands were beginning to grip at her bindings, before getting frustrated and lifting the kunai from Sakura's neck and moving it to her chest. As she watched the action a smell caught her attention, one she had not noticed before due to the overpowering smell of her own blood. She felt the cold of the blade on her chest, and at the same time tried to understand why this smell was so familiar.

Done with her bindings, her captor began to move the weapon back to her neck, an in that instant she realized what it was she was missing. The smell was blood, not her own but one so very close. It was at this very spot that she lost the two people in the world that she loved more than anything.

A pain spread through her hand, and she belatedly realized she was gripping the attacker's kunai by the blade. Surprise registered for an instant on his face, before training kicked in and he tried to pull the blade out of her hand. The blade, though bathed in blood would not move an inch.

For Sakura time seemed to slow to a crawl.

"What the fuck?" He yelled as he tried to jump up in order to get some distance from the crazed girl. The others were instantly on alert.

He did not get the chance to evade; the instant he moved she did too. Her other hand grabbed hold just below the man's elbow while the first slid lower to grip his hand. Training kicked in and she found herself soaring over his head, having rolled out from under him and pushed off the ground with all of her might.

Looseness in one of her hands told her the task she had set had been accomplished. Still in the air she set her feet, and inexplicably they found purchase. She looked up then, and for the first time gazed into her enemy's eyes. They were black and battle hardened. Surprise and shock had started to register, and she knew soon pain would be there too.

A sharp crack reached her ears, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw the splinters of bone stabbing roughly through the crippled arm.

Without thinking she pulled back the hand that had been gripping his. Her legs expanded and she was flying past him, her hand slicing through the air for his unbroken arm. Twice her hand moved, each time striking harmlessly below the shoulder. Unnoticed, two black seals faded into existence on what was once clear skin.

Then she was past him, hurtling head first toward the soft ground. With an almost unconscious gesture, she spun around in the air, aiming a chop at the man's neck. The opponent proved himself to be better than an average ninja, and fell forward on instinct. The chop whistled past, barely missing his neck. Believing the assault to be over he fought through the pain to turn around, yelling orders to his companions. "Mov-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as all the air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs, and at the same instant a sharp pain from the right side of his chest joined the already blinding pain in his arm. His body went flying toward a nearby tree, leaving a crater from the impact.

Sakura stood on the forest floor, one palm out in what was the end an incredibly vicious palm strike and the other behind her back, completing the stance. Taking a deep breath she unwound, standing to her full height, the state of her undress not even registering in her mind.

For an instant there was silence, interrupted by groaning from the fallen leader. All this had happened in less than a second. The girl regarded her opponents, each of whom seemed to just now begin registering the events. The smell of blood was stronger now, and not all her own.

Then they were upon her, ready to beat her into submission, or failing that, death.

Sensing danger Sakura dropped into a roll, her foot lashing out at the last second and smashing into something solid, a satisfying crunch telling her all she needed to know. Flowing with the strike, she hooked her foot behind whatever she had hit and pushed with all of her might. The faint whistling in the air was ignored as she went flying back in the direction of her origin, behind her the sound of weapons piercing flesh rang out clearly.

Again she found herself in the air, flying very fast at another ninja. The look or surprise barely registered on his face when she grabbed his shoulder, feeling her fingers sink deeper than logic dictated they should. Flipping around the man's shoulder she found herself standing and the man flying into one of his allies, yelling in pain.

A breeze rushed past her head; focusing her attention on the blood pumping in her ears, she was feeling more alive than she had for months.

The brief stillness almost cost her, and she had to spin around, parrying a kunai aimed for her back. In the same move she grabbed the dagger and threw it toward another incoming projectile. This was no time to enjoy the moment.

The youngest of the group had seen his allies begin a ranged attack and chose that time to catch the girl off guard. This proved to be a costly mistake as he found an elbow in his face followed by a knee in his gut.

Sakura pushed off the downed man, jumping into the air as he slammed hard into the ground, absolutely winded.

Once again the whistling was back. With no opponent to snag nearby she had no choice but to grab her knees and fold into a roll. Her opponents had not predicted this maneuver and the thrown weapons continued their course through the air unhindered by flesh. Sakura on the other hand had hit the ground, and instantly uncoiled like a wound up spring. She knew instinctively that her opponents would soon regain their thoughts, and begin to harass her with ranged chakra attacks. Already she was gathering her own energy into what would become the inevitable retaliation. Her eyes found the nearest source of chakra, and she was off, aiming a precision strike at the center of the gathering energy.

The fool who had been her kicking platform before had recovered, and started to form chakra for a jutsu. When he saw Sakura coming at him his courage failed and he jumped into the air, hoping to avoid another unpleasant trip. He was quite lucky; a double finger strike bit into his leg, throwing him into a sudden spin. The alternative would have been much more grisly. Nonetheless, the man's mistake had led him directly into an ice based attack fired by one of his allies, freezing the joint of his uninjured leg, and leaving him unable to land safely. As he fell toward the ground and the inevitable pain, he saw the air above him compress and violently expand. The resulting explosion dazed both him and the man who launched the ice jutsu.

This time Sakura did not stop during the brief lull. Already enough of her energy had been gathered, and she performed the first technique that came to her mind, a nameless jutsu that she had made up on the spot. Had she been in a more aware state Sakura would have balked at the unlikeliness of her creating a technique in the heat of combat, but in the moment her hands flew into an unfamiliar seal. A loud crack sounded directly behind her, followed by an agonized scream.

The leader had overcome his pain, and had been in the process of sneaking up on the unaware girl when his good arm suddenly exploded in earth-shattering agony. He could do nothing to hold back a yell, and watch in horror as his quarry spun around, aware of his presence.

Sakura dropped, finding purchase in the ground and almost flew away from the man that had been holding her some seconds earlier. He was completely crippled, one arm shattered by her earlier escape, the other by whatever jutsu she had performed in the heat of the moment.

Once again, they found themselves staring into each other's eyes. The message was clear. It was time for the fighting to end. It was time for someone to fall.

The energy she had been gathering suddenly released itself, flowing out of her body and into the sky. Letters she had never seen glowed an unearthly hue in the air around them, and even the remaining conscious ninja stopped short to stare at the spectacle. Moving her body on instinct she dropped into a loose stance, both her hands held out to her sides with three fingers raised toward the sky. At her command the letters shattered, sending blinding sparks flying in every direction. Something within her was awake now, something that wanted blood. Lost in the moment she looked within herself to see what it was, and knew without a doubt that it was nothing but her true self.

Once more she found herself changing stances, this time a hand hovering over her shoulder, ready to defend, while the hand she had less than a minute ago used to grab a kunai, now perfectly healed, was poised to strike. She looked one last time into her opponent's eyes. They had stopped showing pain or hate. Stopped any emotion but the calm acceptance. This was not what she focused on. Instead she saw her own reflection in those eyes, herself standing majestically surrounded by a halo of flowing sparks almost like the wings on an angel, her hand ready to deliver a final blow.

And her eyes were blacker than the darkest night sky.

Above the battle a cherry tree stood regally. Flowers had just started to appear on its branches. A single blossom, perfectly formed even this early in the spring, graced the branch above the combatants. In that eternal instant between one moment and the next something, perhaps Sakura's unsealing technique, perhaps the aura of power overwhelming the field, or perhaps even the simple truth of a gentle breeze, unsettled one of the petals. It flew gently downward, swaying but slightly in the peaceful air. It was after all just a flower petal, nothing to cry over.

Sakura struck, her hand flowing through the strike in a mutability she had seen but once before. A lone sakura petal fell victim to the unstoppable force of her attack, and at last she stared at the fading sparks behind her opponent, his body almost held in an embrace if not for the fact that one of her arms was piercing through his heart.

The smell of blood was absolute now, though now none of it was hers. She pulled back, spinning towards her remaining opponents, all of them staring at her in horror. She felt alive, more so than ever. A pang of pleasure ran through her body. Yet at the same time she felt sorrow, greater than any that she had ever thought possible. A lone tear traced the path down her cheek, and at last, she heedlessly thought she understood what Naruto was trying to say.

The sound of a corpse hitting the ground came from behind her, shaking both her and her opponents out of all thought. There was still a battle to be fought. She fell into a familiar stance, and beckoned them to come…

* * *

Sakura woke to the feeling of her bed beneath her. For a few instants she lay, trying to understand the dream she had just experienced: Pain, rage, and then… blood, so much blood. The memories of her venture the previous night suddenly came back into perfect focus. Every move, the sensation of elation as she took her first life and the bliss that followed every one after. Even now the memory was almost orgasmic. A piece of her mind wanted to deny that the memory was real, but her entire body knew it to be true.

At last she opened her eyes. A familiar ceiling greeted her, almost cheerfully reflecting the light coming through her window. She stood and idly noticed she was clean, no blood splatters or scorch marks marring her body. She was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and shorts. Briefly she wondered at the flowing crest that adorned one of the sleeves, but it was of no consequence.

She walked downstairs, noting that Yuri had been fed as she passed her room.

Sitting at the kitchen table was Naruto, his hands steepled in front of him, his gaze regarding her, unwavering.

She walked forward and sat across the table from him, not knowing what else to do.

They remained like this for several minutes, until Naruto moved. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew a small, white bead. Looking at it he nodded and tossed it to her.

She caught it deftly and stared at it curiously. It seemed to call out to her, almost as if it knew it belonged to her. Noting the string passing through the center she raised her hand to her hair and tied it to a loose bang.

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan."

Her hand was still touching the bead, wondering what it meant.

"Congratulations on first blood."

And at last, all of the events of the past day, past week, and even the past year hit her, all at once.

"WHY!" She yelled suddenly jumping at Naruto, a runed dagger appearing in her hand, aimed for his throat.

"WHY ME!"

Naruto calmly caught the offending hand, and looked straight into her eyes, "Because you wanted this. Sakura-chan."

Sakura dropped to the floor, realizing what he said, and at last… She cried, feeling the sorrow she had been denied for so long.

Heart wrenching sobs were torn from the fallen girl. The dagger fell from her hand and evaporated into mist.

She curled up, sobbing, letting the pressure that had built over the year release itself. The changes, the knowledge, the death of her parents, and her first kill... Her first kill had been but a few hours ago, and now she knew that so many others would follow. It was her fate, and for that she cried.

Naruto kneeled next to her and put his arms around her in a comforting hug, gathering her into his lap. Normally she would have punched him and started screaming, but now it was all she could to latch on to him and continue crying in sorrow for what she would never have again. A hand stroked her hair, for hours, until at last she was asleep.

Naruto looked down at the young girl in his arms. She had been reborn, and with her first blood he knew that grand things would come for this one, known as Sakura. Three marks now adorned her cheek, and a crescent was half formed over her eye.

_A battered frame clutched at the woman, her blonde hair hitting him in the face._

"_WHY!" He yelled, staring at her with desperate eyes, "Why didn't you warn me?" _

_She looked down at him, "Because that's the way it was meant to be, my dear Naruto."_

He shook off the memory. Time had all but forgotten that event, so long ago.

Instead he gathered Sakura into her arms and walked upstairs. Unheard by any ears, a whisper rang out in the empty room.

'And because, all I know is that you love her.'

* * *

**Shadris Corner:**

Important Shadris Houses: (Excerpt from "The Shadebourne Histories") The Shadris political structure is divided into Houses. Though the specific arrangement and types of houses will be discussed at a later date it is important to know the major players when dealing with nearly any member of the Shadris race.

The Houses of the Five: Besrai, Endrai, Elesai and Nerai. The Great Houses such as Raven. The independent Houses the likes of Everai and Joursai. The historic Houses such as Fane, Endora or Laithir, all contributing beyond measure to the history of this people.

Each of these has a rich history and great powers. It would pay to know them well.

**Author's Notes:**

Once again I was a lot more satisfied with this chapter after the changes. Perhaps I'll keep it as it is for now. There was mention of the SC notes being distracting, something I can understand. They are pretty important in setting up book 2 though, so I can't remove them and feel the same about the story. They also serve as little aides for cautious readers, providing a few hints into what will be coming up.

Virtual cookie for the first one who tells me what Sakura's attack is called.  
(Huge hint: I've explicitly named it before.)

Ch. 5 – Version 1.1  
Proofread by sharingank


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